


Star Wars Across Stars: Act 1 - Blood Of Tyrants and Lovers

by CaalebDaavis



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, M/M, Space Opera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:01:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25161295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaalebDaavis/pseuds/CaalebDaavis
Summary: Set after the events of The Rise Of Skywalker, Rey Skywalker receives a quest from the Force that involves Ben Solo. The Resistance find themselves on the back pedal after the Battle Of Exegol. The First Order's new Supreme Leader Rell seeks to destroy the Force for good seeing it as the center point of all galactic spanning conflicts.
Relationships: Jannah/Rose Tico, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Star Wars Across Stars: Act 1 - Blood Of Tyrants and Lovers

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly this work is incomplete. I obtained a writers block right where this ends and now that I am wanting to focus on a wholly original story of my own I want to hand this off to whomever wants to take the mantel. I have a lot of ideas about the story itself so if you want to take it up and discuss it DM me over on Twitter. Twitter.com/caalebdaavis I will also have my general thoughts about what I would have done at the bottom notes.
> 
> Lastly I apologize for any grammatical/literary errors that cause frustration. I'm hoping if anyone decides to finish this to redo this section in their own words/style so I'm not overly concerned with that aspect.

Prologue

A Jedi In the Desert

The twin suns of Tatooine were setting and the little round droid BB-8 was staring at her intently. The newly proclaimed Rey Skywalker was unsure of what to do. Ever since she ran across BB-8 on Jakku the young Jedi had been skipping around the galaxy trying to find her place and now as she breathed the dry desert air she had no idea if she'd really found her place in all of this. She hasn't even had the time to mourn. She knew not of what specifically caused her death in the battle against her grandfather. All she knew was her eyes opened to the teary-eyed and worry stricken face of Ben Solo. She can still feel her heart race the moment she laid eyes on him. It was like a phantom echo. She had the love of her life one moment and in the next, he was gone. Her truest connection. The one person who truly understood her pain. He was really gone. BB-8 still looking curiously beeped to grab her attention. Tears were running down her face and it was starting to get cold. Before taking a rest in the Millennium Falcon Rey decided to take a look inside the Lars homestead.

The inside was dirty and nearly empty. Black scorch marks could be found all over the walls and ceiling. They weren't from blaster fire. No, there was a fire here, possibly an explosion of some sort. She ran her fingers across the walls. Her fingertips became black and leaving behind wavy lines of clean through its dark landscape. Stepping outback she finds a work station with equipment covered in dust. Running her fingers across panels and scattered objects she suddenly felt something. It was through the Force. She finds the spot where it felt the strongest, a very old and rusty tool, she focused all of her feelings onto and into it. Voices could be heard. Very faint but seeded within the dark side. No longer afraid Rey continues to listen to the faded whispers.

"You're not all powerful," a woman said. She sounds empathetic and concerned.

"Well, I should be." An angry man, wait no, an angry boy proclaims possibly behind a sadness he is trying to hide.

"Someday I will be. I will be the most powerful Jedi ever. I promise you, I will even stop people from dying." He continued. His words were almost a cry for help begging for relief.

"Anakin." The compassionate woman said in shock of his statement.

Rey knows that name. That's Luke and Leia's father. That's Ben's grandfather. The words ringed in her mind. Stop people from dying? Is the Force telling her something? If it's his grandfather, it's possible the Force is trying to teach her something. She knew not of who the woman was but she knew that these two individuals had a special bond in the Force. Maybe not bonded like her and Ben once was, but a connection that could be sensed if one simply looked. The voices ended there. She tried going back to listen further but nothing. It was getting late and Chewie would be a worry Porg and would stay up while she was gone. For both of them to get some sleep she decided to head to the Falcon for some rest but before she'd let go of the tool she could feel a familiar presence in the Force. She suddenly turned around expecting to see a tall brooding face. Nothing was there. She could've sworn she felt something, maybe it's just a phantom echo. One that might not ever go away, since the bond between two people could never truly be broken. Tears filled her eyes, both from the memories of his presence and from being overtired. It's time for rest.

The night was filled with nightmares. Vivid and distant. A planet of lava. A slave who lived his whole life a slave. His promise of galactic power. His loss of self. His absolution in his power. A broken boy who had lost his way. What was this place? Who was that man? There's something that connects him and her. Him and Ben. Was that Anakin? Is that where he became the most hated man in the galaxy?

Rey awoke the next morning groggy and still tired. The sleep was heavy and exhausting. She slowly got up and dressed and headed outside to look at this place one more time before she left. The wind was heavy and the sand got everywhere. Within the sands there stood the shadow of a young boy. He was running away. If he gets stuck inside the storm he could die. She can't allow that to happen. She will bring him home. Spending her life on a desert planet had its advantages. Rey ran after the boy as fast as she could. He was always several feet away. Far enough not to see what he looked like.

The boy's shadow slowly faded. She slowed down and started to look around. She could sense Chewie so she didn't go too far off. A tug of her garb and there was a blonde little boy standing there.

"Hey. Are you an angel?"

Rey was stunned. He had a little charming smile on his face. His blue eyes sparkled in wonder. She knelt to meet his eye level.

"Are your parents here? Do they know where you are?" The boy looked confused.

"My mom's back home. She doesn't need to worry about me. I can't go too far off or the chip inside me will go boom!" Yelling boom and making an explosion expression with his arms.

"Wait, a chip? Why would there be a chip inside you?" The boy seemed baffled that she had to ask such a silly question.

"Mom and I are slaves."

Rey felt sad at the boy's situation. She knows something of a similar way of life. Nothing anyone ever deserves. "What's your name?"

"Anakin. Anakin Skywalker." A big grin ran across cheek to cheek.

"Hello, Anakin. My name's Rey. Can you tell me why you're here?" She had to know why a vision so corporeal was having a conversation with her.

The boy looked at her for a long while. His expression became meaner and his eyes were glowing yellow. His face and body transformed from a young boy to a teenager and finally into a young man . "You will not take her from me." The man yelled. Tears filling his eyes and running down his cheeks. "You came here to kill me."

Rey was shocked to her core. She could feel the raw power of the dark side coming off the young man. She didn't mean to upset him. What did she do? She wanted to comfort him. She didn't mean to hurt him. "Hey, Anakin it's okay. I'm not here to hurt you."

The single word that projected from the opposite frame reverberated within all things between the man and the Jedi. "Liar." He lifted his right hand and motioned it in the fashion of a grip directed right at the Jedi. Rey grabbed at her throat. She was suffocating. No, choking more like. Inside of the pain, she could see a dark robed figure and a young anguished man rising off of his knees.

"First I want you to go to the Jedi Temple. We will catch them off balance. Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy. Only then will you be strong enough with the dark side to save Padme."

That was her. That was the woman Anakin had a connection with. That's what he wanted. He wanted to save her from death. Her grandfather was there too. His old, grey and worn face was hidden under a hood with two yellow eyes shining in its darkness. He was the one speaking. Sounded exactly like his rotting corpse.

"What about the other Jedi spread across the galaxy?" Anakin said. He sounded guilty. He was betraying the Jedi, those he fought alongside. She'd feel guilty too.

"Their betrayal will be dealt with." The old man said as he was sitting down. "After you kill all the Jedi in the temple go to the Mustafar system, wipe out Viceroy Gunray and the other Separatist leaders. Once more the Sith will rule the galaxy and we shall have peace." The promise laced with venom. A promise he had made to many beings to get them to do what he wanted. It was promised to her too.

The vision stopped and she could breathe again. Coughing her lungs out until she could get her bearings she could tell Anakin had left and the storm had passed. She felt unsure of what actually happened. She knew that the Force was trying to tell her something but what it was she didn't have the slightest clue. The morning was quickly turning into noon and there was no time to waste. Her, Chewie and BB-8 had to make it back to the Resistance for their next mission. There was a war to fight and the Jedi were needed.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Star Wars: Across Stars  
A post-The Rise Of Skywalker fan fiction written by Caleb Isaac Davis

After the BATTLE OF EXEGOL and the second defeat of the Dark Lord of the Sith DARTH SIDIOUS the FIRST ORDER nearly fell apart in an internal civil war which would have left it to ruin. However, an uprising of STORMTROOPERS lead by the newly christened SUPREME LEADER RELL championed a rebirth for the order with a new mission statement, eradicate the FORCE from all existence and burn every world to ash.

The new SUPREME LEADER has found secrets of the JEDI and SITH religions which speak of an entrance to the FORCE itself and the key to FIRST ORDER victory. Soon this entrance will be discovered and SUPREME LEADER RELL will achieve the destiny they believe the galaxy needs.

The RESISTANCE has been on the backpedal. Generals FINN and POE DAMERON have worked tirelessly to keep their increasingly dwindling forces intact and in the fight. Though all hope may seem lost there is still a spark to light the fires of rebellion. Soon they'll obtain information that will determine the fate of every surviving sentient being in the known galaxy.

The JEDI REY SKYWALKER has been out across the galaxy helping the RESISTANCE save as many lives as they can. However, the FORCE has been trying to guide her to her true destiny. Soon the FORCE will lay a quest before her feet, one that she could never ignore...

Act I  
Blood Of Tyrants and Lovers

The Jedi Rey Skywalker had been asleep the whole ride to the newest outpost this one being on the ocean moon of Aeon IV. One of the handfuls of Outer Rim worlds that had been left untouched by the First Order. There were Old Republic shipyards here from the Clone Wars that weren't destroyed by the weather which had constant winds that made for strong waves. The only way you could accurately spot this oddly small moon is if you looked at Aeon IV and waited for the only bright blue dot to orbit the pink gas giant and to call it giant was a massive understatement.

The planet Aeon IV itself is one gigantic storm and depending on where the moon was positioned determined if someone could enter orbit without being struck down by lightning. As long as you're in a sealed conductor and are grounded to the copper-rich soil all electronics would be safe. This base didn't see a lot of action in its day because it was so hard to find and get to. The Resistance only found it due to R2D2's memory never being wiped. His records were massive dating back to before the Clone Wars. He and Chewie told Rey of their journey and it's helped her get a better grasp of her role in this conflict. She still feels like something is missing.

The Jedi, BB-8, R2, and Chewie just came back from their last mission which was on the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyk. The First Order burned all of it to the ground. Every tree and every city. From orbit, it looked like the planet was covered in solar fire. What Resistance forces could've been spared were sent there to evacuate all they could. By the time they left a third of the planet had been consumed by the fires of war. He was able to rescue his family and a few 10,000 Wookies.

Chewie in his recounting of the past said that Wookies now only remember the wars. They have barely known a life outside of strife. Now there were so few left in one gathering. Others are spread out across the galaxy but the World Tree was in embers and the Wookies have nothing left but to fight. It's been like this on every planet that Rey has been to.

Within the Force every day she felt the loss of countless beings wanting to know why they couldn't be saved. Their screams echo in the Force but in her dreams, it is always Ben Solo who screams. He screams because he believes no one can hear him.

The same feeling of sadness washed over her every time she woke up. It's like when she was little and scavenged a haul from a crashed TIE near Tuanul. Someone caught her from behind and knocked her out, stealing her haul. When she woke up afterward it was like her brain was trying to break her skull from all sides and her eyes full of sandy tears. It's like that but much, much worse. She rubbed her eyes adjusting to the light in the Captain's Quarters of the Millenium Falcon. After her morning routine of hygiene and meditation, she stepped out to find Chewbacca and R2 repairing the hunk of junk that's kept them alive. She's amazed it's survived this long since Poe had to pull his reckless hyper skipping stunt. She's still hanging on and if that isn't a good sign Rey hopes to never get one.

After confiding and comforting Chewbacca Rey decided to give Rose a visit and see if she wanted breakfast. Rose was being excluded from a lot which she didn't honestly deserve. From what Rose told her Finn has been extremely distant and Poe... well Poe is a self-absorbed sleemo, her words. Rey had been wanting to pull Poe and Finn by the ear and make them apologize and include her in more but she doubted those stubborn headed fools would even listen. Those two were made for each other, they had a bond in the Force that she could sense. Rey could feel a similar feeling from Rose but for who she wasn't sure yet. That didn't matter. They became friends within the last few months and she knew Rose was so much more and those two would see that in time.

In the hangar of the makeshift military base Poe Dameron, General of the Resistance, was looking at the losses of the day. He at times found it surprising that the First Order was truly this large. Even with the fleet obtained at Exegol, it simply wasn't enough. Not to lose hope but if someone were to, he wouldn't blame them. He saw Rey get off the Falcon and head to Chewie. The Wookie was sad and she came to comfort the big guy. BB-8 rolled up excited to see his master.

"BB-8! How are you, buddy? I missed you." The round droid beeped ecstatically telling Poe all that he did with Rey, Chewie, and R2. "I'm glad you're out there helping. You wouldn't have been happy stuck here and to be fair I'm not at all thrilled but you're keeping our friends safe and that is one of our most important missions." BB acknowledged in agreement. The droid left to find his friend D-0 who in the prospect of joining BB-8 basically said no and that he felt safer here at the base. Poe didn't blame the little droid, really. The winds were catching up outside and that meant a storm was coming. They don't exactly last very long but if one isn't careful they wouldn't see anything coming.

Poe turned around and saw his best friend Finn. This he never got surprised by. The man's ability to remain hesitantly optimistic no matter where he's at or what he's doing made him one of the most valuable members of the Resistance. He's brave, kind and annoyingly honest. He laughed a bit on the inside at that thought. The two men had forged a bond through the heat of battle and found themselves more open than they ever were with anyone else. His heart skipped a beat or two if he caught himself staring for long enough. "Is today the day I tell him?" He thought to himself as he walked over to his best friend.

A teeth filled smile greeted Poe as he walked up. "Good morning Poe. Ready for some good news over breakfast?" Each gave the other a warm and solid hug.

Good news? That's two words that normally haven't been put together in recent months. He wouldn't mind some good news. If it's promising he would probably take the gamble. It could quickly turn into a giant mess however and a mess large enough could leave their forces to a breaking point. It's way too early and he rarely gets sleep. On another note, since it's so early in the morning he would wait until later for the big thing, he wanted to tell Finn. There might not be a 'right time' but certainly not over breakfast.

"Of course buddy. I'd love to get anything into my stomach." He chuckled a bit and Finn giggled as well as they walked to what pretended to be a mess hall. No matter what happens he would always cherish their time together.

Rose Tico was currently doing what she always felt the most comfortable doing, fixing pipes. The conduction coils inside the bases hull needed fixing and luckily none of Aeon IV's storms have damaged anything. She's actually really happy to get back into using her hands. Ever since General Leia Organa made her the Resistance's Spy Master she's done nothing except analyzing data and redistribute personnel as the General saw fit... well Generals now. When she questioned the General on the reliability of her decision all Leia said was " I have faith that you'll do the best job you can. That's all I'm asking for." Rose actually did a really good job at it too. It required her to stay on base while the others got to ride off on adventures. Before Exegol no one really talked to her cause of her own work and their constantly being away. Since that battle, Rey and Jannah have been the only two that's consistently came to see how she was doing. Finn means well and he has a good heart. It's very likely the kiss she gave him on Crait confused him or it's just as likely that he has been busy keeping the Resistance together. No matter the case Rose can't exactly blame just him, she had also been distant with him. She and Poe have built a working report since both of them have been stuck on bases for the last few months. He also means well. She doesn't exactly know him but from what she could tell Poe still desires to be amongst the stars dodging cannon fire and dogfighting TIEs.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Rey approaching where she was at. Rey leaned against some nearby crates and said in what some would call sarcasm and others would call a poor attempt at being humorous "What you're working on there would've given me a mountain of portions on Jakku!" Rey made a gesture with her hands to suggest the size of this mountain of portions. Her smile was big and filled with joy. Rose was extremely happy to see her and after the last few days, she's had she needed a friend.

"Is Chewie's family okay? I had someone give me a copy of the report you guys made. I'm sorry about what happened." Rose knew that her heart was big and would feel for every being that has lost family because of the First Order. She knew a lot about that. She also knew that most of them never had an actual family, just the machine that wears them down like a part that needed fixing long before. She knew that without fear the First Order would never hold anyone under their boot.

"Yeah, Chewie is dealing with it the best way he can. I'm glad R2 is sticking by his side. I'd hate for anyone going through that to feel alone." What Rose knew of Rey wasn't a lot. She didn't know a lot about the family that left her on that backwater junkyard of a planet but what she had found on her journey was someone who cared about her and lost them just as fast as they came. Rose could tell that those words had weight for her friend. She pulled Rey into a solid, loving hug and only let go when she did.

"Do you want to get some breakfast? Maybe we'll catch Jannah there and we can catch up." After saying this Rey gave Rose the biggest grin but her eyes were still filled with sadness. Rose thought about where Jannah had gone off to. She was just here helping Rose fix these coils but she must have left shortly before Rey came by.

"Yeah, yeah, I could eat. The coils are about fixed anyways. It'll take a minute or so." Rey nodded in response and waited for Rose to finish her work. Rose realized how appreciative she was that she had friends that cared about her as much as she did them. Rey was like her. No family. Lost in a time of war. Trying to find a way to make this all work and win the fight. With what Rose knew there was still hope left in the galaxy.

The food was kind of bad and Poe found his stomach turning a little with each bite but there really wasn't anything to complain about. It provided everything the body needed and it boosted a bit of energy and that was surely needed. Poe thought in the silence that filled the nearly empty room. The only real noise was coming from the supply room in the back of this room and the hangar he was at earlier. For some reason, he was getting a bad feeling about this.

"So, what's the good news?"

Finn stared at his plate a bit. Poe could read that he was trying to think of how he was going to say it.

"Rose and 3PO's spy networks may have found a Resistance sympathizer within the stormtrooper crops on Coruscant."

Poe at that very moment would have bet his life that his face was of shock but inside he kind of hoped for this. Finn, if anything else, has shown everyone that there are faces behind those helmets. It's one thing to think about them as the enemy. When they fire at you you fire back. Knowing there are people who don't want to fight anymore gave Poe some much-needed hope. Finn continued.

"Rose's contact is the trooper themself. The First Order's database has them under the designation of XX-4673. It's been rumored that since the new Supreme Leader has taken over designations were done away with and names were chosen of their own will. The contact was afraid to give us their chosen name though there was no stopping the designation slip. They probably haven't finished changing the database information and each message, even privately secured ones, have a designation code. They tend to be lengthy but it's the last bit you use to identify the individual who sent it."

When Poe and Finn had escaped the first time they met he had a designation as well, FN-2187. At first, he didn't register the numerical bit since flying a TIE and having a conversation at the same time was more difficult than it sounded. He only heard "FN" and the first name that came to mind was Finn. Luckily he liked it and kept it. Poe thought aimlessly about what name Finn would've picked if he had never met Poe and stayed in the First Order. Really there's no way of knowing and such thoughts in times like these cost so much time that could be allocated to strategy and resource management. He had to commend General Leia on one thing, she made all of this look so easy.

Poe noticed Jannah approaching the pair and sat down with her own plate of that stomach turning concoction. She was covered in grease and grime. Her big and thick hair was put up on a tight bun and she looked exhausted.

"Jannah! How's the conductor coils coming along?" Poe was both curious and needing to know so he can keep it in the back of his head for later.

"It's almost finished. Rose should be done soon." She took a big mouth full of the stuff and didn't gag or flinch. Come to think of it, neither did Finn. It must be an ex-Stormtrooper thing. Possibly the food they grew up on was way worse than this.

"That's good, Finn was just telling us..."As if something sudden happened Finn raised a finger to silence Poe and said "They are coming." That's right, Finn had told him about his connection to the Force. It wasn't to the degree that Rey could connect with it but it was useful when it was needed.

Rose and Rey came smiling as if they heard the best news of the day. "Hey everyone!" The Jedi said waving joyfully to her sitting compatriots. "Mind if we come and sit with?" Rose said as if cautious if she should actually be there or not. "Of course, you're always welcome to our table!" Finn and Poe said in unison both being surprised that it even happened at all. Poe didn't know too much about Rose but he liked her. She had spunk and the brains to figure her way out of most anything. That's probably why Leia made her the Spy Master. He however didn't know how Finn felt about her. Finn once told him that he didn't know how to feel after she kissed him on Crait. It was a strange time of growth for him and it's easy to tell that Finn wants to be friends with her. Poe should have a serious heart to heart with him about this. "Finn was telling us your findings." Poe pointed to Rose as he spoke. "He wasn't exactly finished but you're more than welcome to." Poe gave a genuine smile but Rose refused. "It's okay, I don't mind listening. There is something I want to talk to you about but it can wait until after breakfast." "Okay, sounds good." Poe said in response wondering if it's about the shuttle that came in shortly after the Falcon arrived. He pushed it out of his mind however.

Everyone turned to Finn as if expecting him to immediately start talking. He was a bit confused but picked up right where he left off.

"Well, the trooper in question is stationed at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Apparently the new Supreme Leader is looking heavily into the Jedi and Sith for something however like us they don't exactly know what that is." Finn saw Rey's interest peak. Her eyebrows were raised and she looked at him intently. He could feel her presence as one of curiosity. He continued.

"The contact is going to provide us an encrypted data chit with all the information about the new Supreme Leader that they could find though they said that it isn't much but it should get us one step closer." Closer to what Finn had no true idea. Since he helped Poe escape captivity and broke free from the First Order himself Finn had been looking, without knowing it, for a place he belonged. He ended up with all of the people he was surrounded by. For him the end isn't the important part. It's the journey that led him there. He didn't exactly know the Force like Rey did but he knew this is where he was meant to be. He continued on with everyone intently listening except for Rose who obviously knew all of this anyways since she was the one who found it and gave it to him.

"Now I know what all of you are thinking. 'Finn how the hell are we going to get into the temple? It has to be heavily guarded.' Well my friends there's more good news." How well this 'good news' was going to be received he couldn't predict but he hoped at the very least that every person here would want to go.

"C3PO, Mr. Golden Rod himself has discovered from his droid spy network that there is an underground passage somewhere within Coruscant's undercity. Though the place is filled with scum and villainy this could be the only way we get in there. The difficult challenge however is that it has aged and is falling apart. The schematics." Finn hands everyone but Rose, who already had hers layed out in front of her, a data pad with the tunnel layout. "These three sections of the tunnel could fall at any time and trap us with no help whatsoever." This scared Finn but in his heart wanted to risk it anyways. "That's basically all we have. It isn't much but it's our best shot to figuring out why this Supreme Leader is so hell bent on committing galatic genocide." Finn looked at Poe who looked a bit worried but his eyes said he was going to make a gamble.

"Okay, if anyone isn't in favor of going say so now." Poe said in his most authoritative tone. No one said a word. Finn looked at each person whom he loved to some degree and for various reasons. Rose especially, he knew he hadn't been a good friend and she really deserved better from him. They all looked ready to finish this war. So was he. He looked at Poe one more time and his heart fluttered a bit. It happened a lot when he found himself looking at his best friend. Finn knew he loved Poe more than the word could ever describe. In the Force Finn could feel Poe's own emotions channeling warmth when they locked eyes.

"I say we split up into teams." Rose said grabbing everyone's attention. "Since we are going to a Jedi temple if not the Jedi temple it would be a good idea to let Rey poke around and try to find something to help us. If the Force is really with us in this fight it will help us find a way to beat them once and for all." Finn felt certainty from Rose and she was absolutely right. He had also been meaning to ask Rey to show him how to connect with that galactic binding energy better than he was now. He didn't want to become a Jedi or anything, only to understand it. He knew that he could use it if he really wanted, all he really wanted was understanding. This sounded like a good plan to him.

In the distance of the hangar, Rey could hear whispers. They were hard to make out though the feeling of being drawn somewhere felt exactly like it did on Ach-to when the Force called her to the tree library. While everyone was talking about how they were all getting to the Jedi temple she decided to trust her instincts and followed the voices. They got clearer as she headed towards their direction. As they got clearer a feeling of cold overcame her. The first clear voice was familiar, but also not.

"This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi, trust in the Force." The man sounded tired and worried but also strong and convicted. He sounded like he was someone wise and worth listening to. Just as fast as that voice left another came.

"That's... that's uh... that's wonderful." That was Anakin. She recognized his voice from her visions on Tatooine a few months ago. There was so much hesitation in his voice. "What are we going to do?" That was Padme and she sounded scared. Another voice came as Rey slowly drew closer to the hot spot of the calling.

"Yes but use your feelings Anakin something is out of place." It was the wise man again. He knew who Anakin was. He spoke to him like... like he was worried for him. "You're asking me to do something against the Jedi Code." It was Anakin again and he sounded frustrated. Like he didn't ever want to be in this position. She was getting even closer. The next set of voices rang in her ears like someone was yelling right next to her.

"You were the Chosen One. It was said that you would destroy the Sith not join them. Bring balance to the Force not leave it in darkness." It was the wise man again. He sounded as if he was berating the person who was in front of him. He also sounded... disappointed in whoever was in front of him. If she had to make a guess it was Anakin. This must have been when he made his allegiance to the Dark Side clear to all who knew him.

When she arrived at the Falcon the voices stopped but that same feeling of being pulled itched at her very skin. She walked inside and she saw a black-haired child running past her. He was giggling playing with a pair of golden dice linked together by a chain. The boy ran to Han Solo. That's Ben when he was a small boy before he was sent to his Uncle Luke Skywalker. "I want to be a pilot, like you dad!" The boy sounded happy and ecstatic. "When you get older I'll teach you all I know and you'll be the greatest star pilot in the galaxy." Han sounded so sure. He sounded compassionate and loving toward his son. Yet it was with the same firmness he used to speak his own last words before Kylo Ren stabbed him through the heart. Han knew as Rey would grow to know that Ben Solo was never really gone.

"Traitor." That sounded familiar. It was Ben, he was yelling at someone. He sounded like he was angry but not at the person he's yelling at... but at himself.

"But not to me." That was him in the Supremacy's throne room after they defeated Snoke's praetorian guards. When Kylo Ren, not Ben Solo, offered her the whole galaxy. It was never power that she wanted. She only wanted Ben himself.

All these voices were coming from the drawer she kept the sacred Jedi text in. She opened the drawer and hovered her hands over the books until the call was the loudest and has she touched one of the books she heard.

"And I will finish what you started." That was the sound of the mask of Kylo Ren. The shell that covered the young Solo's, true heart. She could slightly hear mechanical breathing as she lifted the book from the drawer. This is one she hasn't looked much into. It's possible that the Force is asking her to take this book with her into the temple. In whatever case, it's probably a good idea to find some sort of cipher for this text if the Jedi Order of old ever had one.

She turned around and saw him, Ben Solo. There he was just like the last time she saw him. A dirty black sweater, slicked-back hair revealing his princely face. He reached out his hand to her. His eyes looked sure, solid and clear and that's all she needed. She reached out her hand. His palm was facing inside and so was hers. Instead of just the fingertips, she placed her full hand right next to his. The moment their skin made contact her head, her vision, her emotions were swirling around the living quarters of the ship.

The next thing she knew she was in a swamp somewhere. She had no idea how she got here. Is this a vision? She turned and saw Snoke glaring at Ben Solo. He wore Kylo's outfit but he had his own eyes bare for all to see. Ben walked into a cave. She followed him.

When she entered she found herself on a patio of a lush, green world. The architecture of the building was divine. It was overlooking a lake and a sunset. There was a couple who were getting married and next to them was R2D2 and C3PO. They knew who these two were. R2 said something about Anakin and Padme marrying in secret... but why? R2 didn't exactly know himself but at that time he was told not to tell anyone.

Suddenly her location changed and it was the Death Star however it didn't look like the way it did when she was last there, it was all intact. Her grandfather was there with a tall man wearing black armor. She could recognize that helmet anywhere. That was Darth Vader. They were standing over Luke who was laying on the ground writhing in pain. Her grandfather's words pierced through the Force as if it ripped through time and space just to reach her. "Now young Skywalker you will die." Lightning extended from the old man's fingertips electrocuting Luke to death. Luke's cries for help also ripped through the Force as if to reach only her. "Father please help me." She could sense the conflict within the mechanical suit. She could feel when Vader decided to become Anakin.

It was then she was back in the Falcon touching Ben's hand but when she looked up, he was crying. She could feel him through the Force. She could feel pain but also a will to actually be there with her. He said only one thing to Rey. "Beyond the Force, there is a world between worlds. I will meet you there."

In a blink of an eye, he was gone. The sudden wave of sadness overwhelmed her and all she could do was cry. With clouded, teary eyes she found the sweater he wore when he came for her. She held it to her chest and let the tears flow. An epiphany hit the Jedi. He's alive. He's alive somewhere. He's trying to reach her and deep down she knows this is the quest that the Force had laid before her feet, how she was going to find him she didn't know. They were going to the Jedi temple on Coruscant anyways, that's probably the best place to start looking.

On the shuttle ride from the planet surface to the Super Star Destroyer Soothsayer felt like a long and arduous one even though the vessel had been in the planets orbit for some weeks or at the very least longer than he had been stationed here. TN-2367 felt as he always did on anything that flew, uneasy and sick. His mind was filled with anxieties and doubts. He was promoted to Commander shortly before the Uprising and afterwards was unsure if he really wanted a place in the new Supreme Leader's mission. It all happened so fast and in his heart he knew he didn't agree with all of the bloodshed and if this were before the Uprising he would have been thrown into reconditioning for even the slightest hint of doubt. Now it was different, they were free from that barbaric way of subjugation. However he couldn't help but to think that they were still shackled by chains that wouldn't hesitate to hang them to dry if they gave the slightest hint at descent. Just as quickly as the thought of being imprisoned came to his mind the shuttle had landed and settled in one of the Super Star Destroyer's many hangar bays.

As he stepped out he knew there were no real aesthetic differences between this hangar and any other First Order hangar but this one just looked massive. It looked so big that you could fit a whole fleet of TIEs wall to wall and there would still be room for more. He, as often as it can happen to someone raised by the Order, was in utter shock by the size of it all. Noticing his comrades waving him over before one of the hangars elevators closed, he ran towards them as fast as he could. With no time to spare the elevator door closed behind him.

There were two others in the elevator with him, one being his closest friend whom, like him, had yet to pick their new names. Out of all the things that the new Supreme Leader did one of the ones that basically won over the entire military force was the removal of designations and the free will to choose one's name. Like his friend TN had no idea what name he was going to go with though he's had one in his mind for sometime. It was something he read about the Clone Wars that peaked his interest every time he read about it.

A ding rang and the floor where the ships bridge lied was here. This information was important so he had to make his way there as quickly as he could. When he arrived on the bridge all was quiet and the Supreme Leader, whom at that point he had only seen on the holo, was staring outside the bridge window. The view overlooked the curvature of the planet and the continent that was in sight looked as if it were all on fire. This shook the young trooper in his core but he knew if he said anything about how wrong it was he would die for sure and at the very least he knew he didn't want to die.

The Supreme Leader was imposing. They looked larger than life, their hands behind their back with only the reflection of the glass pane in front of them to show their helmets expressionless grin. Their armor was of stormtrooper design. It was black with small, thin accents of gold and a purple sash that ran diagonally across their torso. What struck TN as peculiar was the sword that was sheathed on their back. Its placement suggested that the Supreme Leader was left handed. The young trooper with heavy breath bowed before his ruler and waited for a response.

"What is your name my child?" The ruler said from their blackened helmet. The voice projected and echoed across the bridge and vibrated in the young troopers ears. It shocked him a bit and he still hadn't decided on a name so his designation would have to do. "TN-236..." before he could finish the Supreme Leader raised their left hand and all who were around fell silent. There was a moment of pause before the ruler spoke. "No trooper shall go by their assigned designations. You are free to choose a name of your own free will. So tell me trooper what is your name?" Even though he still felt undecided he went ahead and said the only name he actually gave any thought. "Cody, Supreme Leader. I'd like to be called Cody." If anything he felt like it suited him. Hell, the man he named himself after was a Commander as well. This at least made him less nervous than before.

"Alright Commander Cody why did you come here in such a quick pace? Tell me now or I'll find a way to force it out of you." As with all ruthless dictators the Supreme Leader wasn't going to leave room for mercy where they thought they could and with the new Supreme Leader the fear was real cause they had already sought to wipe out any insurgency that were whispered. Many good hearted troopers fell because they spoke out against genocide. Those who didn't believe in the Supreme Leader's vision and were smart enough didn't say anything and followed orders as if they were proud of the heinous acts. Many however have revelled in the galactic bloodbath and they would never want to leave. Enough thinking, he had to give the report.

"Word from the planet surface. General Taggart sent me with hopefully good news." A pause swept the bridge but no one said a word in the brief silence. "He said that all of your hard work has paid off and that the First Order's research has bore fruit. There is a Jedi temple deep within the ground and work is being conducted around the clock to make the temple accessible to you, your grace." There was another pause but this one felt like it lasted an eon or longer. What broke the silence shouldn't have terrified Cody in his boots. He should have felt about it like any other order given to any other trooper. "Are there any survivors? How much of the planet's population is left?" His heart raced but he had to answer quickly. "By our estimates just a little over half Supreme Leader." He knew what was going to happen next and it tore his stomach apart. "Gather them. If they resist, kill them. Tell them they will dig for us here or they will work somewhere else. If they refuse, kill them. No matter what let them know there will be no one to save them and they will bow to the First Order. Do I make myself clear, my children?"

"Yes, Supreme Leader!" Everyone in the bridge said in unison with Cody just a tad behind but not enough for it to be noticeable. The next words to come from the imposingly big figure would haunt anyone with any kind of conscience. "We will no longer be shackled by forces that care not for us. We will no longer be slaves to ideologies that do not save the galaxy from itself. We will no longer depend on broken religions nor an all powerful invisible energy to save us from ourselves. The First Order will save the galaxy from its own hypocrisy and in doing so save every innocent being that cries for salvation. Will you do this children of the galaxy? Will you do this, children of the First Order?" And again they declared their answer in unison "Yes, Supreme Leader." As if to follow the pattern of war drums all in the bridge chanted. "All hail Supreme Leader Rell. All hail Supreme Leader Rell. All hail..." with a single hand left hanging in the air all who could witness it stopped their chant mid sentence. The ruler waved and all went back to their work. The Supreme Leader moved their head only slightly so the one whom they addressed knew it was specifically for them. "Commander Cody, I would like you to send my decree to General Taggart in person. I have instructed him to give you a top priority mission. Do not fail him and you won't fail me. Do I make myself clear, my child?" Cody knelt to one knee and declared his vows of vigilant success and he left the way he came.

The ride back to the planet's surface made Cody feel just as uneasy as any other time he flew. This however was different. He felt like his heart was hurting. He knew how wrong all of this was. He knew that many others felt the same as he did. He knew just as they did any word spoken against what the Supreme Leader demanded meant their lives. If anything can subjugate the heart it's fear. The shuttle landed in hangar 40 in the ruined Capital City. It wasn't that far of a speeder bike ride to the base of operations in the heart of the crumbling landscape. The city, like many other places across the planet, was burning with the fires of war. The billowing black smoke that emerged from old homes and businesses left a haunting image in Cody's mind. When arriving to the center of operations the first thing to notice is that it's in a broken skyscraper. The base was mostly the ground floor of the building with any functional upper floors used for sniper cover. The building had the advantage of height compared to the other buildings that had collapsed during the planetary bombing sweeps.

Cody managed to find his way to General Taggarts makeshift office. Taggart was an officer who was as snobbish as he was mean spirited. His face was always in a scowl and he probably never knew what it felt like to smile. He seemed older than what he was. He was only beginning to show signs of aging and his demeanor spoke a lot about how privileged he's had it with the First Order. Cody entered and relayed to him what the Supreme Leader orders were. He often tried to make something of Taggart but usually came up short. Taggart stood there a moment, stroking his salt and pepper goatee soaking in the Supreme Leader's will. Taggart after thinking about it asked Cody to sit down in the chair opposite of his. The conversation was brief.

"Commander TN-2367..."

"Uh, I don't mean to interrupt but the Supreme Leader asked if I have chosen a name and I have sir..."

"I don't give a single damn about what childish and pathetic name any of you lot come up for yourselves. You'll never be anything more than TN-2367 in my eyes. I don't want to hear another word of it."

This hurt Cody but he knew that this would have been Taggarts reaction. He knew it the moment he opened his mouth. He bowed his head and let Taggart resume.

"Now, we have word that a message has been sent to the Resistance. The message was private and it was sent through several channels before it reached them but the most important thing is that we've found out it's origin source. It was sent by a trooper stationed at the old Jedi temple on Coruscant. I need you TN-2367 to go over to Coruscant, find this trooper and apprehend them. If they do not corporate kill them. Whatever turns out to be the case, search their person and what personals they have there and find out what they told the Resistance. Being brought back alive is preferred but understanding how complicated these things can be I'm willing to let death be considered a slide. You have as much time as you need but not enough to just skip out. Get it done and bring whatever results back."

"Yes sir, General Taggart."

"Good. Now leave. I have to get ready for a trip to see some of the First Order's long lost friends and I have no time for idle chat."

When Cody left he felt more shackled by invisible chains than he had before. He wondered what information would be important enough to send to the Resistance. Was it a weapon? Information? Whatever the case Cody had to find out and deep down he knew he wouldn't be able to bring this trooper in. He didn't know what to do but he knew that he had to think of something and before the Resistance could make their move.

As he left his office shortly after that pathetic Bantha fodder of a trooper did General Roe Taggart moulded over why the new Supreme Leader had to let these insignificant insects any kind of identity other than the one this war machine gave them. He could understand why they would have given themself a name, they're the Supreme Leader now and a trooper designation wouldn't have made for an imposing name. However letting this trash do it as well made him sick.

Roe was born under the rule of the Galactic Empire. As a boy he worshiped the Emperor with all of his loving heart. When the Empire fell he was around the age of 15 and when the New Republic came to his homeworld Serenno he lost all hope in serving a cause he believed in, one that his own parents sacrificed their life for. Yet it was the Outer Rim worlds like Serenno that the First Order started recruiting for officers and stealing children for their trooper corps in secret. He was by no means royalty like House Serenno of old and the New Republic's presence on the planet was fleeting so it wasn't hard for him to find the First Order and join their ranks.

After basic he was assigned directly under Enric Pryde who was one of the Emperor's most loyal confidants in the time after the Empire fell. Pryde confided in Taggart hoping he would take his place if Pryde were ever to die in the name of the First Order. As destiny willed it that is what happened and now a few months after the Battle of Exegol and the second fall of Emperor Sheev Palpatine actual progress in securing the galaxy was making head way. If anything the new Supreme Leader did better than that man child Kylo Ren ever could. Roe to this day could never believe that petulant boy was trained by Snoke, the marionette of the Emperor's will.

He was on his way to his own Star Destroyer which he renamed Pryde for his late and magnificent mentor. The Supreme Leader gave him the task of quelling this hidden Resistance base on a small moon in the Outer Rim that orbited a gas giant called Aeon IV in the Aeon Cluster which is on the edge of the Outer Rim and Wild Space. How the Supreme Leader was able to obtain this information was far beyond his scope to guess though he had a theory or two in the back of his mind. His orders were simple, obliterate them all and leave no survivors, which is exactly what he wanted. The new Supreme Leader was a true force of nature. They were ruthless, efficient and of all this noble in grace and stature. He knew of the Supreme Leader before that title and even though many hardships befell the mighty being he was still impressed with their progress and the time frame of it. Also the Supreme Leader was youthful and motivated which gave Taggart some much needed hope that the galaxy will finally know peace.

After arriving on his ship he gave a quick order to take them to their destination and he headed for his personal office. Right when he walked in the door a call came in from the lead communications officer on the bridge, Vice Captain Dara Cella was her name, she like most on this ship he hand picked himself and so far none had disappointed him other than that loathsome TN-2367, he is the only individual he picked out that got under is skin. That worthless filth always acted so damn innocent but Roe knew there was a spark of rebellion burning in that troopers heart. He pressed the answer button on the holocom that sat at his massive desk.

"Yes Vice Captain what is it?" He said in his most authoritative tone.

"It's the Supreme Leader General Taggart. They wish to speak to you, would you like to take the call in your office or somewhere else?" He felt happy that she considered his feelings when it came to anything. She proved one of his most valuable components in his own war machine.

"I'll take the call in my office Vice Captain. May I say that your work is exemplary. Thank you for being a loyal and capable officer." She simply bowed her young, freckled covered and fire opal haired head and simply said "I am thankful to be under your leadership General. Patching you through now." Within a blink of an eye the Supreme Leader, hands behind their back and covered head to toe in ebony and gold stormtrooper armor appeared on the holocom.

"Supreme Leader Rell..." he kneeled and bowed his head in respect. "Your grace before we have our discussion may I make a request of your majesty?" The imposing dark figure stood as if waiting for what he had to say. "I have a Vice Captain here that has served me well and if your grace is willing may I make her my protege like Allegiant General Pryde did with me?"

Silence echoed between the kneeling and the one being knelt too. After what seemed like several minutes the Supreme Leader spoke. "Luckily for you this will relate to what I wanted to discuss. For your service in uncovering the Jedi Temple here I am promoting you to Admiral so your Vice Captain is more than welcome to take a Vice Admiral position if they are willing to take it." This came as a shock to him but in his heart he was very, very happy. Without raising his head he replied "thank you Supreme Leader."

"Now that I've promoted you to Admiral I have a side objective for you that is more than befitting of your new position." Their voice never changed but he knew that the Supreme Leader was as serious as they could ever be. "There is a likely chance that Force is working through the false Jedi that accompanies the foul Resistance. They are the current owner of that famed piece of junk the Millennium Falcon and that being the case even if you obliterate the whole base and the Resistance fleet that ship will still be able to escape and head to Coruscant. I have a spy that I, in the more persuasive of tactics, have forced to give me relevant information on the Resistance. Even before I put them in my grip they were already becoming friends with the leaders of those rebellious scum. They will most likely be on the Millennium Falcon when they make their escape. Do not destroy that ship. If I have to repeat myself to make myself clear I'm more than happy to for a loyal subject as yourself. I want them to go to Coruscant. Your only goal is to destroy their forces there. If destiny is to be on our side they will see their already dwindling existence to almost nothing. This will give them fear and hatred and that will be what betrays them. This is my will and also Admiral, do not fail me. Did I make myself clear?"

"Yes..." Roe said in poignant respect "your will is clear and I will follow it through to the very best of my capabilities." His heart raced and his emotions swelled within him, so much so that it felt like all of his pride and joy would come out his eyes any second.

"Good. I want a full report as soon as you're finished. I would like to add one more thing, Roe." The Supreme Leader took off their helmet so their face would be fully exposed. "Lift your head my friend." As he did he saw the face of the Supreme Leader and it was in that very moment, like it was when he first saw the glory of the Emperor, he fell to love his ruler and even more so they looked as if they were divinity itself. He knew them most of their life, watched their progress, gave his council when he could because as a younger man he saw the greatest potential in this single trooper and look how far they have come. Tears began to well in his eyes. "Roe, you've been with me since I was training to be one of Snoke's Praetorian Guard. You guided me then, you guided me when I wasn't selected and you guided me all those years afterwards. If anything, you've been my only real friend. I want you to be my confidant. I want you to be my right hand. There is no one else other than Palpatine, Kylo Ren and just now yourself that has seen my face. I do this because I completely trust you and want to show you the truth on my face." What he saw was genuine compassion and love for the man he was. He bowed his head, ever kneeling, in gracious gratitude. "Thank you, your grace. I always believed in you and to see you grow into the most capable ruler has brought me nothing but bliss. I will always be your faithful servant. With your guidance the galaxy will know peace once and for all." He looked up and saw a smile on Rell's face. "Thank you Admiral Roe Taggart." The ruler slipped their helmet back on and the holocom turned off.

He arose from his kneeling position and cried for a moment. Not of sadness, but of pure titillation. He knew that serving the Emperor was his greatest wish but serving Supreme Leader Rell is his true destiny. He was tired after a long and emotionally draining day of work. He layed in his bed thinking about all the memories he has of Rell. Each one brought joy because without knowing it then, they had formed an unbreakable bond, one of mostly like minded siblings, and he hoped that he would get to see the day his best friend in this whole galaxy would get their own wish fulfilled. True galactic peace. He gave his and Cella's promotional updates and the current mission at hand to his new Vice Admiral. After that his eyes slowly and heavily fell shut and in almost an instant went fast to sleep.

The jolt of disengaging from hyperspace woke Roe right out of his sleep. A call not long after came to his office but since he was still waking up and didn't look decent he kept it auditory only.

"Admiral Taggart..." said Cella from the communications device "we have arrived at our destination and are patiently awaiting you on the bridge." She was surely awake but as he learned some time ago that woman simply liked to work. "Thank you Vice Admiral I will be there momentarily." Deep in his heart he felt excited about today. This would be the beginning of the end for the loathsome Resistance and it will be his orders that initiates the spark of their burning demise.

Roe took his time to reach the bridge. As he walked the reflection on the floor made him feel confident. His uniform was symmetrical and iron pressed. The grey and black uniform made him look thin though he was already thin to begin with. Each step he took felt like a tick on the doomsday clock for the Resistance. This got his adrenaline pumping and dopamine coursing in his brain. The feeling of white noise was in his fingers and slowly reaching their way up his arms. He could tell this was a good sign. When he arrived on the bridge all personnel stood at attention. Dara Cella came up to him, a datapad in one hand and a salute with the other. "It's nice to see you here Admiral. The crew is patiently waiting for your orders." She had a slight smile on her face. It was times like these he felt a tiny bit jealous of Force sensitive beings because they could tell how other beings were feeling without having to read past what's on the surface. He felt the same as the Supreme Leader when it came to the Force however and he was then even more glad that he didn't have that ability. Whatever the Vice Admiral was feeling she was going to obey the orders he gave her and that's the only reassurance he needed.

He took his time down the catwalk at the center of the spacious room and reached the viewing pane that looked onto Aeon IV's enormous visage. It had swirls of various shades of pink ranging from red to white. There was no spectrum that was untouched in the gas giants storms. From the reports about the planet it's twenty-two moons all were comprised of minerals that made for great conductors and thus the strikes of the storms were mostly targeted to the moons. Watching the lightning strikes hit the many moons was a sight rarely seen by any sentient being. However if a ship were to get too close in its orbit then the ship would also be a target for the random strikes of cosmic fury. This is why the Grand Army Of the Republic used this location for starfighter shipyards. There were three moons they used each with its own distinct biodome. The one he was interested in however was the one that was covered in an ocean which would give the moon a unique bright blue shimmer against the pink horizon of the planet it circled at the right angle and from where they were sitting they were far away enough to not be caught by the storm.

This assault fleet was comprised of eleven Resurgent-class Star Destroyers each with their own contingent of TIE squadrons that were ready to swarm. The strategy was a very simple one that was collaborated on by his many underlings. Create a dome with the fleet around the moon. When the moon just about hits the humongous storm in its orbital path bombard the moon with every gun they had. It was unlikely to hit the enemy base due to targeting systems being jammed by the unique discharge caused by the planet's storms but the chaos of laser fire, TIE fighters and lightning strikes from the planet will force the Resistance to take the risk and escape without risking a real fight. Many ships on both ends will meet their end by the laser fire and the wildly unpredictable lightning and when the first of their ships seems to be leaving the ionosphere of Aeon IV move closer to the planet so the random laser fire has a higher success rate of hits and if any ships dare leave the minimal protection the discharge provides the targeting systems will be able to read them and hit accordingly. Roe had to admit, this was extremely intelligent and ruthless. The only things the Star Destroyers had to watch out for was getting too close to the planet and the various unknowns that battles tend to come with.

As he gazed on the awe inspiring view of Star Destroyers bathed in the many hues of pink he heard footsteps coming up from behind him. "Admiral…" Dara Cella spoke, "the intelligence gathered suggest that only a quarter or so of their fleet are stationed here. There are some small cells stationed elsewhere and other small squadrons spread across the galaxy. If we can take out at the minimum thirty-five percent of their forces here it would severely criple their efforts to retaliate our assault." This was music to his ears. If the Resistance has a hard time fighting back it will be easier to take out the ships that escape the strikes of planet's storms. As he heard this a shimmer of blue made its way across the pink landscape before him. "There it is sir. From our current calculations that I have just received the moon should be hitting that big storm very soon." A symphony was playing in his ears now. How joyous of a day this was going to be. The huge swirl the moon was about to reach looked like a gods eye ready to smite any who got near it. "Vice Admiral Cella." He called. "Yes sir?" He saw in the reflection of the glass that she stood at attention and ready to go. He hoped the whole crew of the star destroyer Pryde was ready. "Tell the fleet to fire at will."

Beings of many different species gathered around the leaders of the Resistance inside the hangar bay. With them was six Mon Calamari Cruisers, two Hammerhead Corvettes and several squadrons of X and A-Wings and one Eta-2 Actis-class Light Interceptor that Rey had found here in this base that her and Rose worked on together and got up and running with slight modifications since the ship hasn't seen action since the Clone Wars all being prepped to protect the Cruisers when they depart. Rey could sense the tension in the room. She felt excitement in some and doubt in others. Loving bonds between a few and friendly rivalries in others. Yet they were all here for the same purpose. Small, idle chatter filled the spacious area. There was a lot of worry about moving locations. Some beings thought the Resistance was already in the best place it could be, that no one could find them. Others wondered why this moon was picked in the first place since it has a dangerous environment. Just as the chatter became louder Poe Dameron stepped up to address everyone.

"A shuttle came in not long ago bearing a message from Mustafar. The natives of the planet have offered their aid." Chatter filled the room again and died down just as fast. "Now, the plan is simple. We leave here, establish a foothold on Mustafar and subdue the First Orders presence so a small group can take one of their shuttles and sneak into the Core." The many beings chatted amongst themselves with reassurances and doubts. "I understand that this war has been long and it feels like we have nothing left. I say to hell with that though. We have each other. Our friends, our family. With our combined strength we can win this war." A moment of silence befell the crowd. Finn walked up right next to Poe. Rey looked at the crowd. There were many different beings here to be sure. Dugs and Ugnauts, Zabraki and Tagrutan, Rodian and Weequay, Gungans and Twi'leks, a diversity of beings working together for a common purpose. As she looked at the crowd one particular person stood out within the Force. A young, blue skinned Twi'lek girl with two small ivory horns protruding from her forehead and two leku that were tied together with leather. The girl took notice and looked at Rey. She knew she saw the girl from her time on Ryloth after the Battle Of Crait. The Twi'leks attention was transferred to the dark skinned man next to Poe and Rey too moved her attention to him. Finn spoke so all could hear him.

"The Mustafarians have also made contact with Resistance sympathizers within the First Order there. We have also heard word from a Resistance sympathizer on Coruscant which is why we need a shuttle. If we succeed in bringing these troopers into our fold and with enough of them we can turn the tide and actually push them off of worlds they have devastated." Angry voice cried in an uproar. They spoke about how the Resistance shouldn't trust those who sat idly by while the galaxy burned and some surely participated in it. This made Rey angry. It boiled her blood. Though she couldn't blame them. Her attention again was caught in the gaze of the Twi'lek with horns on her head. She could feel a calm from her and it put Rey at ease a small bit. She knew what she had to do. Rey stepped forward and spoke so all could hear her.

"I was not alone in defeating Palpatine. I had help from Ben Solo who was once Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order. He gave his life to give us a fighting chance and I'll be damned if we let it go to waste. These people don't want to fight. Some of the stormtroopers won't leave but just as many never wanted to be raised by them. We have to give them a chance." The crowd went back to small chatter which faded quickly. "They will have to work to make up for what they let go by without doing anything. I will be extremely honest with you without their help we may lose no matter if the Force is with us or not, without the numbers we could very well lose everything." An ominous silence fell on the crowd. The weight of the war finally hit their hearts. Poe spoke again.

"There's no time to put this through a committee. We need the information the sympathizer on Coruscant is wanting to give us. In any case if we are going to leave we need to do it now. A storm is on it's way and if we wait any longer we may be stuck here for another day and who knows if the First Order is onto them or not." The silence continued within the crowd. Rey couldn't see the Twi'lek in the crowd. Did she leave? Just as she thought this she could feel a tap on the back of her right shoulder. Rey turned around and saw her standing right next to her. The girl had a big smile of pointed teeth. She could faintly hear Poe say "okay there's no time to waste. Pack up as much as we can and prepare for departure." Finn also came in and said "May the Force be with us." The crowd had dispersed as she addressed the girl.

"Hey, you're pretty strong with the Force." Rey said to the girl with horns on her head. "I'm Rey, what's your name?" The Jedi stuck her hand out to the girl in front of her and the girl shook it in response. "I'm Henime Sylos master Jedi." Rey was taken back by the formality the girl addressed her with. "I'm not a master yet. Maybe someday but certainly not today." Rey smiled. "Would it be rude of me to ask why you have horns? I've never seen a Twi'lek with horns before." The girl hesitated a moment unsure if she should answer or not. "My father was a Zabrak from Dathomir and my mother was a Twi'lek slave who was sold there. They escaped together when they had me and died not long after." "I'm sorry Henime, I'm really sorry." "It's okay." Said the girl with reassurance. "The man who raised me took good care of me and taught me how to fly a starship. When he died I had nowhere else to go so I went to my mother's home planet and joined the defense force there. That is where I joined the Resistance and how I got here." Rey listened intently to the girls story and truly felt for her. The girl had a rough life and Rey could understand that. "What do you want to do aft…" A feeling in the Force interrupted her and both the Jedi and the Twi'lek looked at each other with worry. It felt as if thousands upon thousands of beings suddenly appeared out of nowhere. As the enclosed bases hangar door opened a volley of green lasers crashed through the sky hitting random spots in the ocean. She could hear Rose scream "It's the First Order, we have to leave now" in the distance and a shuffle of droid footsteps behind her.

"Master Rey," C3PO called "What did I miss? What is going on?" Though 3PO couldn't change the tone in his vocal modulator there was obvious panic in his words though she had to wonder where the hell he's been. "I don't know. Find R2 for me. I'll need him. Stay safe, okay?" "Yes, of course ma'am." As he shuffled off she could hear him mumble "Telling me to be safe? Of course I'm always safe. You don't live this long without being cautious." She partially ignored it though. She turned around and saw that Henime was still with her. "Hey, do you have a ship?" Henime didn't hesitate to respond. "I have an X-Wing. I've already prepped it and it's ready to go." "Good, get there and be ready to take off. We'll need you so be careful out there." The girl with horns on her head nodded and ran off to find her ship.

She could see Poe and Finn in the distance near the Falcon directing people on where to go. As much as she didn't want to, she had to let Poe take the Falcon. She ran as fast as she could while unaided by the Force and caught up with the pair. "Rey," Finn said in concern "did you feel that too?" She knew Finn was connected to the Force like she was. However it still surprised her every time it was brought up. "Yeah, if I had to guess there are a lot of Star Destroyers out there. We have to move now." Poe and Finn nodded in agreement. R2D2 came and asked if Rey was ready to fly and she patted him on the head and said "Yeah, meet me there and get it fired up" R2 beeped in acknowledgement and hurried his way to their interceptor. "Poe," Rey called him to her "I'm letting you fly Han and Chewies ship. If you catch it on fire again the lightning you'll be getting won't be from the planet." Poe to some shock nodded his head nervously not arguing with the person with the capability to shoot lightning from their fingers at will.

Poe watched Rey leave for her starfighter as he and Finn made sure that everything was ready to go. "She's scary when she's pissed" he thought to himself. He could tell that the laser fire that was raining from the sky had no real directed target which he was thankful for. The storms of Aeon IV disrupted their targeting technology which also meant the same for the Resistance. The first Cruiser was up and out the door. It made it out and not a second later was struck down by an arc of lighting. "That was their plan." He said to himself. "It's a trap." He realized but now it was too late. They couldn't stay here and leaving was a risk all on its own but there was no other choice now. He saw Chewie, C3PO, BB-8 and D-0 come to the Falcon. The three droids made their way inside the ship while Chewie stopped to talk to him. The Wookie growled and roared for them to leave. "I know big fella." Poe turned to Finn and said "we have to leave now." Finn nodded and ran inside while waving Jannah and Rose to get inside. He could slightly hear him say to Jannah "You take the top gunner and I'll get the bottom, It will be tricky since we won't have any targeting systems but I believe we can do it" as they made their way inside. Chewie growled at him with a bit of an angry tone. "Yes, yes, I'm not going to catch the Falcon on fire again. Rey already warned me." Chewie grumbled something to the effect of "good" as he made his way inside the ship. Poe looked at all the beings getting ready for another take off and wondered how they were going to get out of this.

As he and Chewbacca sat down and primed the Falcon for take off Poe saw another cruiser leave and this time it wasn't struck down and was able to avoid the volley of lasers. "Ready?" He said to Chewie and the Wookie grunted in acknowledgment. In a moment they, Rey's interceptor and a squadron of X-Wings made it out and surrounded the first surviving cruiser. As soon as they did however a swarm of TIE fighters and interceptors, too many to count with the eye in that split second, came after them like starving mynocks. "Everyone," he said through an open channel that reached the entirety of the Resistance forces, "Keep our cruisers safe. Watch your blind spots and don't go after anyone by yourself." After that a roll call was sound and everyone at that moment was alive.

Streams of laser fire hit ships indiscriminately. Both Resistance and First Order fighters were being struck down by not just the volley of lasers but also the arcs of lighting that struck without warning. This was looking bad and Poe needed to figure a way out of this mess. As he and Chewie peeled and weaved between the unpredictable arcs of lightning and the raining of laser fire they witnessed the star destroyers above them inching closer to their location. "They are trying to keep us contained to the moon" he thought to himself. Chewie roared to Poe that they can't keep this up while Finn and Jannah were at the gunner seats trying their best to take down the TIEs that got too close to the cruiser they were protecting.

A Porg jumped on the panel in front of him and squaked at him. Poe, as delicate as he could under these conditions, grabbed and tossed the big eyed avian behind him. Chewie roared in protest. "I'm sorry Chewie. I promise I didn't hurt him. I…" Chewie roared again not accepting excuses. It was obvious to see that the Wookie actually liked the little critters being there. The call for the next two cruisers making safe departures sounded just before screams could be heard through the intercom. One of the cruisers fell prey to the laser fire that rained from the sky. As this happened Poe caught at the last moment a laser that was coming for them, he flinched and made the Falcon turn into a somersault which clipped and pushed two TIEs into each other and the Falcon found its way into the path of an arc of lighting. It struck and the systems of the ship were shut down momentarily. It was a surprise to him that no one took them down in their moment of vulnerability but he was thankful they got the ship back online.

Chewbacca roared as the ship started to malfunction and spit sparks from the various panels that surrounded the cockpit. The sounds of Porgs could be heard as they tried to hide in their nest within the walls. "There's too many of them Poe, we can't get them all." Said Jannah over the ship's local intercom system. "I don't know how much longer our ships can sustain this kind of barrage. There's too much chaos." She said in panic and worry. As he heard this Poe witnessed Rey's Eta-2 Interceptor and a X-Wing close behind maneuver through the arcs of lightning, the volley of lasers and the swarming TIEs each shooting down the enemy one by one in quick succession as if it were a casual training drill. "Okay, that's probably why Han wanted her to have the Falcon" Poe thought to himself. Chewbacca cheered for his friend who was making short work of the First Order's starfighters. Over the intercom the roll call of the two Hammerhead Corvettes sounded off. It wasn't long however when one of them was torn apart by TIE Interceptors who caught them at their blind spot. The other got away safely and in the protection of X and A-Wings doing their best to protect the ship. "As good as I'm getting at this we can't keep it up man." Said Finn in distress. "We have to figure something out and fast." Poe knew this and yet nothing came to his mind. He wasn't a strategist, he was a starfighter. He flew X-Wings like they were sports speeders or pod racers. He felt the thrill of being just a soldier in the pilot seat but now he was a leader and he felt like he was buckling under the pressure.

A voice tore through the intercom "We need to knock out one or two of those Star Destroyers." Lieutenant Connix said within the cruiser they were protecting. "Otherwise we will be stuck in the moons ionosphere and you can already guess what that means." She wasn't wrong. If they can't find an opening soon they would never escape. As Connix said this Poe watched as one of the Mon Calamari cruisers ascend out of the hangar and then another departed as an arc of lightning struck it down half way out causing part of the hangar entrance to catch fire and soon after two lasers hit the base causing the whole thing to irrupt in a ball of fire. They were down by a great margin and he saw no other way than to go up into space. "Poe" Rey called through the intercom "I know someone who has an idea on how to get out of here."

Henime Sylos had stuck close to Rey's interceptor throughout the battle. She and the astromech droid she rebuilt on Ryloth, AL34-D, worked in concert to help the Resistance stay alive for as long as they possibly could. The chaos of random laser fire, arcs of lightning and the swarm of starfighters both shooting at each other and being struck down by laser and lightning alike was a lot for a seventeen year old girl to process. She could feel the losses ripple in the Force. She had spent most of her life in starships but this was the first ever time she was genuinely, truly afraid. It was like darkness had enveloped her being and caused her palms to become sweaty and her eyes to become blurry though she remained focused on taking out the enemy fighters that got too close to the cruiser her, Rey and the rest of the closest fighters were trying to protect. Her consciousness was fading before her X-Wings intercom system flaired with a familiar voice.

"Henime! Henime!" It was Rey. The Jedi was trying to grab the young girls attention. "Tell Poe what you told me." There was a rush to her tone. "Okay..." she hesitated for a moment. She wondered if the plan she had told Rey not moments before would actually work. She pushed these thoughts into the back recesses of her mind. "It looks like those destroyers have us surrounded like a dome. If we leave the moon's atmosphere their targeting systems will function properly and they'll be able to hit us with accuracy."

She waited to see if anyone wanted to speak. It was hard to concentrate on talking and having a dogfight at the same time even when aided by the Force. An arc of lightning struck two A-Wings that were approaching and the TIE interceptor she was locked in battle with. When no one spoke afterward she continued. "If we can push one of those destroyers into another incapacitating them both we'll have an open window to make a hyperspace jump through it." She waited a moment while shooting down two TIE fighters that were trying to shoot the bridge of the cruiser.

"Just like the Battle Of Scariff..." said Poe through the intercom. "That could actually work. We will have to be careful though and leave the cruisers here while a small squadron of fighters protects that Hammerhead so it can ram and push one of them into the other. This could work!" He said in jubilation. "Everyone, listen up..." it was Poe again and he had an authoritative tone to his voice. "We are going to use our remaining Hammerhead to push one Star Destroyer into another so we can have an open window to escape. The Falcon and a handful or two of fighters are going to protect that Hammerhead as we leave the moons orbit and into the enemies sight line. This is going to be risky but we will all die here if we don't. Once that is finished I want fighters to board cruisers as they ascend so we can jump together." There were no objections. Deep down Henime could feel that this risk was one that was worth taking.

She, Rey, the Falcon, four X-Wings and three A-Wings gathered around the Hammerhead Corvette has it ascended into space. When the roll calls came she was the last to speak. "Black 6 standing by." She announced to the group that surrounded the corvette. As they ascended TIEs followed them. Arcs of lightning started to become out of reach though a single arc ran through the last four TIEs that tried to chase them and the laser fire became more focused aiming at the Resistance ships that were now moving through the vast openness of space. Less TIEs swarmed them than they had down near the moon though there were enough to make it a challenge.

She and the other fighters were vigilant in taking down TIEs as they came. The more they gained ground the harder it was to dodge laser fire and the TIEs. An X-Wing ran into a TIE and both exploded in front of her. Rey stuck as close as she could to Henime's X-Wing. The Falcon's bottom gunner shot three in a row and the top hit two, one after the other. An A-Wing went down due to the laser fire from the Destroyers. As they gained more ground Henime realized that this could go sideways in a moment's notice and tried her hardest to pay attention to all visible angles. AL34-D did his best to communicate what was happening at her blind spots though having no vocal or sound modulator to communicate with only the display panel that translated the ones and zeros that ran through the droids processing unit made it that much more difficult.

When they reached the furthest left Star Destroyer the Hammerhead in full throttle rammed into a side crevice of the First Order ship and pushed it into the one right next to it. The ship it rammed into lost the majority of its top hull and the bridge tower was separated from the rest of the ship causing it to become inoperable descending into the pull of the planets orbit. However the Hammerhead fell prey to unexpected TIE interceptors who came from below both destroyers and kamikazed into the corvette leaving the Destroyer damaged but operating at capacity. "No! No! No!" Poe screamed from the intercom and Henime could feel the sense of dread coming from the Resistance forces. In that very moment time felt still and the darkness that had enveloped her became too overwhelming. She would have passed out if it weren't for a voice inside of her mind. It didn't come from anyone but from something deep within. It was like a shining light and it told her to fight.

She realized something when she came too. She had to take out that ship's bridge. As she thought this a dogfight with a TIE had left her guns damaged and unusable. No matter how many times she pressed the triggers, nothing would fire. She panicked for a moment before the only conclusion came to her mind. The Force at that moment begged her not to do it. She could feel it's influence trying to change her mind but it was already made up. Henime thought about her parents who gave their lives to free her. Her father figure, Exar Sylos, who taught her everything she knew not just about starships but most importantly about life. She can see his gruff human face like he was right in front of her. She could feel the stubble that consumed his face on her cheek as if she was hugging him. She also remembered his last words to her before he had died in her arms a few years ago. "Whatever you do Henime make sure you do it with your heart first. If you do you'll be able to die with peace and purpose." She knew to some degree he was Force sensitive but did he know? In his last moments did he see this one? No matter the case she knew exactly what she planned on doing.

She pressed the communication switch which directed her to only Rey's interceptor. "You were going to ask me what I wanted to do after the war was over, wasn't you?" She had paused only for the briefest moment when she felt a tear crawl down her face. "Well, I always wanted to be a Jedi. It was the thing I always dreamed of being." This was true. Anytime she closed her eyes or went to sleep she could picture herself in robes swinging a lightsaber and lifting rocks with the energy field she had felt inside herself since she was a child. "I'm sorry, but I have to do the most Jedi thing I can do right now. I have to give you all a fighting chance." As Rey tried to inquire what she was trying to tell her Henime cut the com mid sentence. She took a deep breath and flew at full speed straight to the destroyers bridge. In that moment her mind, emotions and memories blended with the Force. The girl with horns on her head closed her eyes and dreamed of being a Jedi one last time.

After he watched two Star Destroyers descend into the orbit of the ocean moon of Aeon IV and three Mon Calamari Cruisers leaving it Admiral Roe Taggart was left speechless. The screams of the officers of those destroyers still rang within his ears. Even though the Supreme Leader wanted that hunk of junk to escape it still left him baffled that they could escape when the odds were stacked against them. His Vice Admiral also stood there with her mouth agape. He had to admit solemnly that this is why both the Rebellion and the Resistance kept surviving. However the simple fact that he was unable to obliterate the entirety of their forces here made him feel like a failure.

"Sir," Vice Admiral Dara Cella said "should I arrange a communique with the Supreme Leader?" Roe stood there a moment as the two ships were torn apart by arcs of lightning that came from the wrathful gods eye of a storm not realizing his second in command was addressing him. At that moment he thought about who he was at the start of his military service.

At that time he was just assigned to Enric Pryde, who was a General at that point. He had stood at attention with the rest of the officer rabble, most of who would have never made it past Lieutenant. Enric paced back and fourth down the line of men and women in their light grey uniforms. Roe being just another random face with dark brown hair and hazel eyes that was still green at the gills but it was something about him, he never understood what, that caught Pryde's attention. He had looked Roe from head to toe and chose him to be his second.

It was a decade or so after that he witnessed his first skirmish on a barbarian world in the Unknown Regions not even the native species had named. He and Pryde watched as the first batch of child stormtroopers, provided by Brindle Hux's program based on how the Jedi of the Republic inducted followers, face off against an unsophisticated tribe of primitive, four armed aliens with a single horn on their forehead and two massive tusk curling out from the top row of teeth. To his surprise the children defeated the tall and muscular warriors he was sure would maul those kids to death. Granted, more children died than survived but it was that moment when he saw...

His mind forced him to focus on the present cutting the memory short. "Sir? Is everything alright Sir?" He turned around to see Dara Cella with a look of genuine concern smothering her freckled face. "Yes, I was only remembering something from my youth." Roe had paused for a moment. "Let this be a lesson for you my protege. Never underestimate the cunning and guile of the enemy." "Yes sir. Their resourcefulness under pressure makes them almost worthy." Dara Cella said with youthful confidence and pride. "No, worthy in their own right. You've just underestimated their capabilities and one day that will get you and all you command killed." "Of course, Admiral. I'll take this lesson to heart." The Vice Admiral said in humiliation. "Good because I see a bright future for you Miss Cella. I have an eye for that sort of thing. Get in contact with the Soothsayer and get me a line to the Supreme Leader. I have a report to make." All on the bridge saluted Roe as he slowly left the bridge of the Star Destroyer Pryde and hid himself in his office.

He sat there at his desk with his hands clasped together, twiddling his thumbs in an effort to keep his mind focused. Roe's thoughts kept drifting away from him. Back to back his mind went from a feeling of failure to a feeling of dread of what the Supreme Leader may think of his inability to destroy the Resistances forces. It was a solid plan afterall. Some of the First Orders most brilliant minds worked tirelessly on it and it would have succeeded if it wasn't for the wretched Force.

That wretched energy field that practitioners of relied too much on. It was every Jedi and Sith's ultimate failings. Too much of a reliance on something that had no loyalty or allegiance to any side of a conflict. It is said that the Force is comprised of two aspects. One is the 'Living Force' which produces the energy Force users tapped into and the 'Cosmic Force' which is said to have a will all on its own.

Though he learned the majority of this through his time under Enric Pryde's wing Roe doubted that his mentor had any kind of Force sensitivity. Roe did however meet the mangled corpse of 'Lord Sidious' which the being manipulated the dark aspects of the energy, ancient alchemy and modern technology to keep his corpse animated. It was utterly disgusting to him. Snoke was no different. He was just Palpatine's flesh puppet and one that foolish boy fell for. Even he, former Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, relied too heavily on the Force pretending it could make him like his grandfather who was also a failure who relied too heavily on the galactic binding energy.

As he thought this a call came from the holocom. He answered and the visage of the Supreme Leader's black and gold armor appeared before him. Roe instantly got up and kneeled before his ruler. "Supreme Leader, I have word from our battle." The imposingly large figure stood with their hands behind their back waiting for him to continue. "Your will has been fulfilled. The Millennium Falcon has escaped. However, half of their forces were able to escape as well." His head still lowered and eyes darting around in dreaded anticipation of what they were going to say.

"So be it." Rell said with a wave of a hand. "They were severely crippled, yes?" "Yes Supreme Leader. They struggled to escape our grasp." A moment of silence befell the two beings that were communicating across star systems. "That is good. They have seen that their days are numbered if they don't act and that's exactly what I want. I want them to be panicked, worried, distraught that they could possibly lose everything." Another moment of silence filled the air. "We will take everything from them. That has been our entire goal. Soon Commander Cody will intercept them and the Resistance on Coruscant and from there they will be on their way to me. I can feel it in my bones." The Supreme Leader had fervor and spite in their words. "This has been everything we've worked for. Everything you've seen in me I have made my destiny and I promise you my friend I will save this galaxy from itself."

"Of course, Supreme Leader. I have always seen your potential and it has served you, the First Order and the galaxy well." He truly believed it too. The growth of the being he bowed before was unmatched by any Jedi or Sith. Unmatched by Force sensitives and non Force sensitives alike. Their prowess in battle. Their leadership skills. Their ability to walk with royal grace and with the strength of a god. He always saw it in them. "What is your will Supreme Leader?" As before a moment of silence filled the room.

"I want you to return to me and oversee the final stages of our work here. I want the temple to be accessible to the false Jedi when they arrive. It will be here that a duel of the fates shall be decided. I feel that in my bones as well. Return safely Admiral. I'd hate to lose you when we are so close to achieving our dream." In a blink of an eye the holo of the Supreme Leader's stormtrooper appearance disintegrated and Roe rose to his feet. He didn't know what to feel so he did only as he was commanded. He made his way to the bridge and ordered the fleet to return to the star system that Rell had been for weeks. He had to believe in their vision or otherwise everything he believed about them would crumble underneath his feet.

When the Resistance jumped out of hyperspace and entered Mustafar's atmosphere it came to everyone's surprise when they saw around eight stormtroopers on their knees and handcuffed before a massive group of insectoid like beings of two varieties, one being tall and thin and the other being short and stocky. Most of them were pale though some had grayish skin. They were accompanied by fourteen or so stormtroopers all who had their helmets off. The three Mon Calamari Cruisers landed at the platform that used to be the First Order's main base of operations on the planet and were welcomed with smiles and cheers.

Rey looked at the beings as she stepped out and felt the light of the Force flowing from them. Many of them, more than not, had some sort of sensitivity to the Force. All of them had a mask that covered their mouth and yellow eyes that had a star like shine against their lightly pigmented skin. She, Poe, Finn and Rose made their way to a stormtrooper who was talking to a being that had a dress of importance. The being that looked like the leader came forward. Their voice was distorted due to the mask they wore.

"Welcome to Mustafar. We are happy to welcome you." In almost an instant Poe remarked quietly "Can anyone else understand what he just said?" In almost the same instant both Rey and Finn back handed him on each arm and Rose retorted "Not cool Poe." Finn shook his head in disappointment and Rey laughed a little bit. It was obvious on Poe's face that he didn't mean it in a hateful way. The Mustafarian laughed boldly with one hand on a wooden staff and the other on their chest. "I like him." Pointing at Poe. "I am Grand Chieftain Solace and this" he gestured to his left side "is High Priestess Lunari." Each of the four Resistance leaders shook their hands.

"This..." he gestured past the priestess "is Captain Rex. They helped our warriors subdue those who resisted and remained loyal to their tyrannical leader." To the Jedi Rex was otherworldly. She was tan with short, curly black hair and had voluptuous lips that matched a wide nose. Her smile seemed intoxicating highlighting her dark violet eyes but the way she stood was that of a hardened warrior. Rey turned to look at the troopers who were handcuffed and she could feel their displeasure and hatred flowing through them. It was almost similar to the feeling she was getting from the planet itself.

She looked onto the crowd and took a particular notice in one of the tall and thin Mustafarians who had a baby in a sash that ran criss cross around their chest who stood close to the High Priestess. The sash is what held the baby in place. Her attention was moved to the High Priestess who addressed her. "It's good to see the Jedi still survive." A moment of pause had passed. "I had hoped that the guardians of peace and justice would continue on."

The stormtrooper named Rex was the next to speak but she addressed them all. "I'm just glad you're going to give us a chance." She said with slight hesitation. "When the Uprising happened my troops and I were happy to break the conditioning that kept us under the First Order's heel. Though when the new Supreme Leader came to power it was easy to see we wouldn't have been able to escape with our lives." "Don't worry" Finn said to her "we understand and we welcome any assistance you can give us." The trooper bowed in gratitude. "Thank you so much. We won't let you down."

As the leaders of each faction talked, Rey felt something through the Force. It was that feeling again, a calling inside of herself directing all her attention to somewhere that wasn't where she was. It was like whispers surrounding her mind yet felt as if they came from a specific place and now that the Resistance has made the first steps in establishing a presence on Mustafar Rey felt compelled to follow the whispers of the Force. After the first step however she felt a hand grab her left wrist, it was the Mustafarian woman who stood next to the Grand Chieftain and the High Priestess.

"Hold on, young Jedi." Said the Mustafarian behind a respirator. "Would it be okay if I walked with you to wherever the Force is guiding you?" Though no mouth was exposed her eyes smiled and showed genuine happiness. "I promise not to be too much of a burden." Her eyes smiled again as she let go of Rey's wrist. "Of course." She smiled in return. "Do you know where it is we're going?" The Mustafarian smile faded away slightly. "No I'm afraid not but do not fret. All journeys are better taken when the destination is far from the mind." Rey didn't exactly know what to make of the statement but in her heart she felt it's truth.

Finn came jogging to their position. His face showed signs of exhaustion. "Rey, we aren't going to be here long. Please hurry with your Force... quest... thing..." He said nervously unsure if these words were the same words that were just in his head, "and get back in one piece. We're going to need you." With a smile he turned around and left as fast as he came. She had to resist the urge to tell him something analogous to "that's not how the Force works" but it was too late and he was gone before she could make a sound.

The Jedi, R2 and the Mustafarian traveled down a path that cut through the only thicket of naked trees that could be seen in a black landscape dotted with various mountains, plateaus and lava rivers. The light fall of ash was ever constant blanketing the ground with gray snow. After a few moments of silence the Mustafarian spoke. "My grandmother some time ago was the High Priestess of my people. At that time this planet was angry and consumed by unyielding hatred." The Mustafarian made a gesture to look at the landscape. All Rey could see was ashes, pointed trees, grayish fog and a red sky filled with small clouds above them.

"A being covered in black armor came to make this planet his home. From what my mother has told me of the story he was a Jedi himself before tragedy both fell onto him and he inflicted on others." An image of the Anakin Skywalker she saw on Tatooine came to her mind. The words "you were the Chosen One" rang in her ears more from memories than from the Force. R2 made a worrying sound like he did when he recounted his tale to Rey as he talked about his exploits during the Clone Wars.

"Yes that's correct, little droid. Darkness consumed the galaxy at those times. When this black armored being came to our planet he constructed a monolithic castle nine separate times according to what my grandmother believed to be by an artist of the darkness." A moment of silence befell the group before the priestess spoke again. "It was many years before a smuggler and a droid were captured by the war machine the dark being had sway over and this lone being was thrusted into a quest that changed their very life. They discovered their connection with the Force and their bloodline for which was the cause of Mustafar's cataclysm." As Rey listened she couldn't help but to think this smuggler and her shared a similar story. "Yes Young Jedi, his story is a lot like yours." Rey felt stunned. Did she just read her mind without her knowing it? "No, I read your face. You don't have to sense others through the Force to know what they are thinking."

The baby that the Mustafarian priestess was holding in the sash around her chest started crying and in a few moments returned to peace giggling while they tried to catch the ashes that fell. "My grandmother helped this smuggler stop the dark being from enacting a ritual that would have brought someone who was long dead back to the living world but at the cost of all life on Mustafar."

"I will even learn to stop people from dying." The Jedi whispered to herself. Anakin tried for so long to bring Padme back. His broken frame was in so much lonely pain that he would have done anything not to be that lonely anymore. "When the smuggler stopped his plans the planet began it's slow process of rebirth." She gestured again to the landscape they were walking through.

"All things work in cycles. This is the way the Force exists. That wasn't even Mustafar's first death and rebirth if my people's legends are truly to be believed. I believe them anyways." The Jedi thought about the first ever real lesson she learned about the Force. "Death and decay that feeds new life." She said to herself not realizing she did so externally instead of internally. R2 asked something akin to "are we there yet" and both the priestess and the Jedi shook their heads. As the Mustafarian spoke she played with the baby though always vigilant of where she was walking.

"My child Helcion is the first child of Mustafar who does not require a breathing apparatus. There may be a time where Mustafar falls prey to another cataclysm and his descendants will have to breathe through machines again and their descendants may live through a slow rebirth like he is now. The Force is both death and life. You cannot have one without the other. The galaxy is consumed by it's own catastrophic event and I have no doubt, just like the smuggler, the Force will guide you to where you need to be so the galaxy can be reborn again."

As the priestess said this the group came onto a lone lake encircled by trees. The water looked like coagulated blood under Mustafar's crimson sky and it's breach were surrounded by jagged, black stones that didn't seem natural to her. The priestess laid a hand on Rey's right shoulder and smiled. "A parting word Young Jedi, whatever you hear will be the truth but not all of the truth. The rest you will have to find on your journey." Rey smiled in return and told her "thank you" but as the Mustafarian and her baby were headed back the way they came the Jedi stopped them. "I never got your name ma'am."

"Oh, my name is Junco. I am training to be the High Priestess so when my mother passes into the Force I will be able to lead my peoples spiritual self. Life and death is a cycle none can escape. May I ask your name Jedi?"

"Rey Skywalker."

The Mustafarian hummed in contemplation. "It suits you. Wear that name proudly Rey Skywalker and let none take it from you."

Junco smiled turning her attention to Helcion and they disappeared the way they came. As Rey stepped closer to the edge of the water she noticed that R2 was staying where he was. She was walking through ebony mud that grabbed onto her feet like the planet itself didn't want her to go. She needed to know why the Force called her here and she had the will to act on her desires. When she reached the precipice where the red and black met a large being slowly came out of the water. A giant with eyes sealed shut arose with a spider-like creature whose tendrils clinged to the giant below. She could feel through the Force that these two were tied in symbiosis. One being couldn't live without the other. One was of the dark and one of the light though she really couldn't tell which was which. The spider-like being talked with a shrill voice.

"I am the Eye Of the Webbish Bog and you..." it lowered itself to meet her eye level and stared inquisitively. "Your eyes are ancient Jedi not unlike the eyes of the man I saw not long ago. He came seeking an object that blood had bound." The Wayfinder that Kylo Ren found, the one that led him to her grandfather. "However he felt familiar as well. His eyes were ancient and lost to history." What was this creature going on about? Ancient eyes? Lost to history? "You seem apprehensive Jedi. Do you not know who you are?" This being spoke to her in riddles and now it questioned her on the validity of her identity? "I know exactly who I am. Who do you think you are?" The creature reeled back in shock. The spiders eyes widened for a short moment before a squeal was produced by the beings frame. She could sense it was supposed to be laughter.

"I've seen your eyes Jedi. Two there are yet one is missing. Their path led them to their true self. I don't exactly know where that took them though." The creature returned to Rey's eye level pondering on it's thoughts. "I sense the Force has given you a quest has it not?" She answered with some hesitation "I believe so. To find Ben Solo. The man you saw before." There was slight aggravation in her tone. The being sensed as such through the Force. A hum of contemplation filled the air before the spider-like being spoke again. "What you are seeking is ahead of you but also rooted in a past you cannot remember. It's a timeless objective that has yet to be fulfilled. Prophecies shattered and reshaped." This was more than a little confusing but Rey tried to understand. She calmed her initial fears and anxieties. She breathed and let patients guide her words.

She had more than a few questions when she allowed herself to think. Maybe this will be the only time to ask someone who'd possibly know. "Ben told me that he and I were a dyad in the Force. What does that mean?" The being seemed shocked after the word dyad left her lips. It looked at her for some moments before answering. "Duality is the ever present cycle that repeats itself. For some time this duality has been left unstable and with it imbalance." The being breathed in deeply. "This duality was born of love and hatred. Peace and war. Life and death. It will be this duality that returns the turmoil to prosperity." This made no sense to Rey but she'd be lying if she said the being wasn't telling the truth. The Force itself is all of those things. Is it saying that she and Ben are the Force?

"Did this duality have a beginning?" The being looked at the Jedi and hummed again. "The memories of the past are lost to you. In all truth I'm not exactly sure where the duality lies." The being paused for a moment and Rey simply looked at it. "It's not clear. The eyes are the same and yet different. Is it possible the two have finally become one? Does that even matter? It is not up to me to determine or decide which of the two lives within the light or the dark. The only thing I'm seeing is one looking for the other. Another timeless quest that has yet to truly be fulfilled." Rey thought to herself if she should even ask the other questions since this being gave her nothing but riddles.

"If I'm to find the other half, which I have to assume you mean Ben, then where should I start looking?" The spider-like being squealed again in an attempt to laugh. It shook its head and replied. "You're already on the path. Follow it and your remaining questions will be purified by the fires of a conquered world. Go there and find the family that will lead you to yours." The being started to descend back into the crimson waters. Rey could feel the two intertwined beings were falling fast asleep and she knew deep down she wouldn't be able to wake it up. She watched it disappear and the bubbles it left behind slowly stopped appearing. R2 was beeping in worry wondering when they were going to leave. "Don't worry R2, we're leaving." Rey reassured her loyal companion as she made her way back through the thick, black mud. As the Jedi and her droid walked back to their friends she contemplated on what the being had said. "Is it possible the two have finally become one?"

It took some time to return but Rey and R2 came back to see the Mustifarians, the liberated stormtroopers and the Resistance all working together and within the Force there was a harmony ebbing between all of them filling the air with compassion. They were using gigantic fleas to move heavy cargo from the monolithic tower just above them on a cliff face to the large Zul-class cargo transport shuttle. The creatures had six powerful legs and an exoskeleton that was obvious to see was evolved to withstand the temperatures of this fiery rock. As ugly as they were they had a beautiful presence in the Force. It was like a song all the fleas were tuned into with synchronistic, harmonious unity. She smiled but felt a sudden wave of sadness as she kept hearing things in the distance.

"You brought him here to kill me." It was Anakin and he was furious.

"Come back. I love you." It was Padme and she was heartbroken.

"Only a Sith deals in absolutes." It was the wise man she's heard before but has no idea who he is only that he has some connection to Anakin and Padme.

"You were my brother Anakin..."

"I hate you..."

"I loved you..."

The rest was screams of pain roaring in the Jedi's ears and for some reason it felt like flames were consuming her torso and her head but not the majority of her legs or arms. Inside she wanted to scream too but the pain she knew wasn't real. It had to be an echo of the Force though the sensation felt familiar to her. When she snapped out of the trance she found herself in Rey could see her friends waving her over. They were talking to the stormtrooper who called herself Rex. She stood with a confident and bright smile on her face.

"You must be the Jedi." Said the trooper.

"Yeah, I'm Rey Skywalker." She said lending out a hand for Rex to shake and so she did.

"The person I named myself after served under Anakin Skywalker. Any relation?" Rex had the face of pure curiosity.

"No. Not like that in any case." Rey didn't know it but her face would have said she seemed embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it. If you ask me you carry that name well. It would be an honor to fight at your side." She said as she slammed one hand to her chest in a "grunts salute" as a visitor to Niima Outpost once told her.

Rey smiled and both her and Rex's attention was aimed at Poe and the rest of the group. "We've already got a shuttle near ready for us to go. Plenty of room for the group I'm already assuming we'll be in." He said with some bravado. Rex stepped in to speak next. "Luckily for you lot I already had a mission before this little rebellion of ours. It was to take this obsidian shipment to the First Orders processing plant on Coruscant. Originally it was supposed to go to the Works but at the last minute the drop location changed to the Undercity."

Rose had stepped up to speak. "The plan's simple. We go to the drop location which Captain Rex here says will be on level 1024. Luckily enough that is the same level the tunnel to access the temple is on the same level." Everyone waited intently for someone else to speak before Rose continued. "If you ask me it's a trap. Rex says she got the order a day ago and that doesn't sit right with me. It'd be like the First Order to set up two traps in one day." Finn chimed in with "Or it really could just be a coincidence. There is just as likely a possibility that they have no idea we'd come here."

Rey was tapping her chin thinking to herself "In my experience as a Jedi so far there hasn't been a thing to suggest 'luck' or 'coincidence' exist. If this is the Force at work, we have to walk the path it wants us to take. If it's not the Force," which she doubted, "we'd still have to go. The information we'll be getting is too important to pass up." After thinking this Rose spoke again.

"We split into two groups. One with Rey. That group watches her back so she can safely look through the temple. One will be with Poe. We all look to him as our leader..." Finn made a fake coughing sound interrupting her." "Yes, you too Finn." He smiled though Rey felt it was a bit smug of him to do so. "Anyhow, they go with them so they can meet with the sympathizer and get the datachit." Jannah, who was absent up to this point, came back with schematics of the level which were provided by the troopers here on Mustafar.

"We'll be docking here." Jannah pointed to a location that wasn't far off from the tunnels entrance. "Dressed as troopers, with Rex as our leader," saying leader with two fingers of each hand making a quotation "we'll leave the unloading of the obsidian to the troopers stationed there while we make our way to the tunnel. If we can make those in Poe's team passable as troopers..." she had a worried look on her face and Rey could feel her doubts like a shadow that veiled her face "we can pull it off. However," another shadow of doubt overcame the ex-trooper "the droids might be a small problem but not one we can't solve of the fly if need be."

A moment of silence filled the air as each person looked at one another. Jannah continued. "Rey's team can pretend to be prisoners so they won't be so loud when they rummage through the temple." There were no real objections, only worried faces in contemplation. Rey put her right hand in the center of the group. A smile came over her face and she started to feel an air of calm between all of them in the Force. In some ways the Resistance has been looking to her as a spiritual guide. Her actual training wasn't too much though. There were still so many things she has yet to learn and it's possible she'd grow old still discovering new things about the Force. With sincerity and firmness she said "May the Force be with us" and one after the other everyone else placed their hands on top anothers. Each repeating what she said with the same amount of conviction as she did. They shot their hands up into the sky and then started to gather their things for the long journey to the Core.

A roar in the distant corners of his mind began as he drifted into a daydream. When the vision of the dream came clear to his mind he could see in his peripheral Enric Pryde when he was about his age now. Roe asked his mentor "Sir not to put myself out of place by asking this but what does Hux believe he can achieve with this program?" Enric turned to face him as tremendous tremors in the distance reached the pair on the high hill.

"You have studied the Jedi's practices?" His mentor asked in genuine curiosity.

"Yes sir." Said a very young Roe Taggart. "They would take in infants with decent to high concentrations of mediclorians and a natural infinity with the Force the parents willingly gave away." Enric raised one brow at his protege as if wanting more of an explanation. "The idea was that if the Jedi Order raised them from infancy the children would have no other loyalties. The children would see the Jedi as their only family."

Enric only looked at Roe for some moments as the sound of stomps came closer. "Brindle Hux wants to achieve the same goal. If we want soldiers who are loyal only to us then they need to be raised by us. As cruel as his methods are, he isn't wrong in his initial approach." His mentor had a smile of pride slightly stretched across his face. "Turn the legacy of those so called guardians of peace and justice and make it serve our cause."

As Roe listened he turned his attention to the battlefield below. A tribe of primitive, four armed aliens faced off against a fresh batch of child troopers most between the ages of eight to ten with some even below that. Out of the whole platoon only five survived. They were all of similar shape and size so with the white and black armor they wore it was hard to set them apart. All of the warriors they faced had been slain. However one much larger than the others, the leader Roe assumed, approached and made another terrifying roar. Four out of the five children seemed to hesitate and back away a few steps but one stood defiant.

The other primitives carried various styles of maces but this one had three blades and a single whip. In an instant the mammoth barbarian swung their lower left sword and only one trooper ducked and rolled back. The other four were cut in half in that single swipe. Blood sprayed from the edge of the sword as it and the two others lunged, swiped and came down onto the lone trooper. With grace and ease the child ducked, weaved and rolled to avoid the attacks.

In a move that surprised Roe the trooper grabbed a jetpack from one of the dead children, put it on their own back and shot up in the sky while using their blaster not to kill the primitive but to distract it so the child could think of a strategy to take it down. The barbarian enraged now used it's whip to strike at the flying trooper and successfully entrapped their ankle after three attempts. The child was swung in a circle a few times before being thrown. To Roe's even greater astonishment the child with the aid of the jetpack was able to find a way to land on their feet. Sliding back at such a speed the child's legs buckled and tripped due to the velocity of their impact causing several fractures in their knees, calves and feet.

The child arose and ran towards the giant four armed menace shooting the primitive in the eyes with their blaster then dropping it so they could get a grip on a mace that was a lot larger than they were. Though the signs of struggle were obvious the child was able to use the remaining fuel of the jetpack to lift them and the mace high enough above the blind primitive to drop it on their head. The sound of a crushed skull could be heard from miles Roe assumed and the giant fell straight on their face. The jetpack ran out of fuel and the child fell on their back though they did survive walking away from the skirmish with a broken arm.

"How high is their mediclorian count?" Asked Roe who was simply amazed by what he just witnessed.

"Funny you should ask" Enric said with a slight chuckle "they have none whatsoever."

When he came to Roe found himself with a datapad in his hand and his own protege to his side. He was on a platform overlooking a dig site to a Jedi temple that somehow was completely buried. There was a tunnel that was the entrance to the excavation effort. A stormtrooper approached Vice Admiral Dara Cella giving her a holocommunicator and leaving almost as quickly as they came.

"Admiral?" Dara Cella said to get his attention. She swiped a message from her datapad into his own and said "a call from the Supreme Leader. They are requesting information on our progress which is what I just sent to your datapad." She had a straight look on her freckled face. Her high cheekbones were highlighted by the few curls of fire opal hair that dangled on the sides of her face. The rest was put in a nice and neat bun on the crown of her head.

"Thank you Vice Admiral" is all Roe said as he looked at the most vital information on the datapad before clicking the button to receive his call. The Supreme Leader, as always, looked imposing in their black and gold armor. They stood with their hands behind their back. "How far have we come Admiral?" Rell asked inquisitively. Their holographic image exuding the raw strength they carried themselves with. "We have just made it to the temple entrance. We're knocking it down as we speak." The Supreme Leader only stood for a moment with a gloved hand tapping the the chin of their helmet. "Double your efforts. It won't be long before the culmination of our work hits its singularity." Without hesitation Roe replied "Of course your grace." He and Dara Cella bowed their heads at their exalted ruler and they disappeared into the ether. He stood there looking down onto the excavation site wondering if this will actually go their way.

Finn looked at the stormtrooper armor, not too dissimilar from the ones he grew up with, and wenched. "I kind of hoped I'd never put this on again." "Same here." Jannah said while putting on the last gauntlet to make her armor complete. "I haven't even taken mine off yet!" Rex retorted with a slightly annoyed chuckle. They were in the shuttle on their way to Coruscant. Finn was wracked to the nerves with worry. He sat the armor down wanting to put it on at the very last minute. He felt like he needed to talk to Poe so he left the cockpit to the two women he just occupied it with descending down the first ladder to what was a common area with a tiny kitchen, a couch with a table and a bar. The room also had additional sleeping quarters at its sides. They weren't big enough to house anything other than one maybe two people and a bed. This shuttle was designed for a large haul for fast distance travel. This area would've been primarily used by officers.

He saw Poe struggle to get the chest plate on in one of the rooms that had the door wide open. What his friend didn't realize was that it required two people to equip it though it's easy enough to take off on your own. Poe's struggle to put it on was kind of hilarious to Finn if not in some boyish way. Poe seemed to try and force it onto himself. Finn finally knocked grabbing Poe's distracted attention

"Would you like some help with that?" Finn asked with a slight smile on his face.

"That would be wonderful." Poe seemed cautious but Finn could feel through the Force that he was flattered. Finn helped him piece together what he needed to keep the chestplate locked into place.

"This reminds me of the time you struggled to put on a tie." Poe said charmingly. Finn could feel a rush of warmth hit his cheeks.

"Yeah well I had you to help me." Finn said with slight almost unnoticeable stutter at the end.

"You looked good in it. That's for sure." Poe turned around and the two locked eyes. Finn's hand was still in the chestplate and he could have sworn that time was standing still and in the Force he could feel a light come from the man in front of him.

Poe seemed like he desperately wanted to say something but Finn couldn't even guess what that was. Poe shook his head and grabbed his hand. "Finn…" he paused, looked down and then locked his eyes with Finn's again. "I…" A crash could be heard from an adjacent room. It startled both of them. Poe chuckled a bit and said "man you jumped nearly a hundred feet." Finn smiled a bit.

A voice came from the same room as the crash. It was Rose and she was frustrated. "I have looked everywhere and I can't blasting find it." She yelled in desperation. Finn stood for a moment before Poe grabbed his hand again. "I know y'all haven't had the best go at being friends. Rey is a bit preoccupied and Jannah is helping Rex in the cockpit. Maybe you should go see her and try to help." Poe smiled faintly. Finn could feel he really wanted to say something but as his friend he felt that Poe would tell him when he was ready.

The door of the room that Rose was in was also wide open. It was a locker room that was between two bedrooms. Her cheeks were red with anger and he could see tears form within her eyes. In the Force he felt frustration coming from her. She knew he was there. He wasn't exactly a quiet person.

"Hey." She wiped the back of her hands across her eyes. "What's up?" She turned to face him and she had a smile on her face. He could feel that she was happy but conflicted and it was aimed at him.

"What are you looking for? I can possibly help." He said hoping that his true sincerity came through.

"Have you ever been in one of these before?" She asked inquisitively never looking away from him.

"Only once but it wasn't for long. I loaded some supplies to one of these when I was roughly twelve or thirteen." He said feeling nostalgic only because he couldn't replace the memories of his childhood.

"I'm looking for some cuffs… hand… cuffs…" Rose said with pauses of hesitation unsure on how to speak when she was upset or nervous.

"I don't know where any are but they could be in here." He pressed his hand on a wall panel that wasn't obstructed by a locker and a compartment opened up. She stared at him but he was unsure what she had felt in that moment. Her emotions were swirling like a vortex.

"A hidden compartment?" She asked less in the manner of a true question more out of the feeling of needing to speak. "No." He said quickly. "All First Order ships have these. They are meant to conserve space. Though I can see why. This and that," he pointed to an unobstructed panel behind her, "is also one. See how the door protrudes out just a little bit?" She squinted and then slapped her forehead. "Of course." She said in less frustration than she had before.

"Is everything okay?" He asked hoping it he didn't overstep a boundary. She leaned back and sat on a crate that was right next to her.

"No. Not really. I…" she hesitated and then continued. "I'm unsure if what I'm feeling is real or not." She said with the red of her cheeks slowly fading. "They've shown me true compassion and have been with me since we met. However," a moment of pause fell between them, "I'm unsure if they have any kind of feeling towards me."

He didn't know what to say but he did say what was on his mind. "I think the most important thing I've learned since leaving the First Order and it's a lesson I learned from you is that we shouldn't spend all of our energy with our minds obsessing over something we can't control." He paused waiting to see if she spoke however she did not.

"Whenever you're ready you should tell them if they don't become ready to tell you how they feel before that." He said with a smile on his face. "Give them time. We have given each other time as well." He pointed back and forth between them. "Within that time I realized how I treated you and it was wrong and I am sorry." He sat there another moment looking at his boots before returning to her attention.

"I would like for us to be real friends." Rose grabbed Finn's hand and smiled with tears running down her now clear cheeks. "We were always friends, dummy." She suddenly hugged him as tight as she could without hurting him and Finn returned the hug. In the Force he could feel light suddenly burst within her and in between them. He smiled warmly. After their embrace he said "I've been wanting to ask Rey something. Is it okay if I go?" "Of course." She said rubbing her hand on his right shoulder.

He heard Rose put the handcuffs he helped her find into a bag as he descended the second and last ladder to the storage compartment of the shuttle. It was filled with crates that contained mostly obsidian with a few that contained weapons and rations. First thing he noticed was Chewbacca painting BB-8 black and silver to make the round droid look like he belonged to the First Order. When he went to look at Rey his mind was more than mesmerized.

The Jedi was floating above a sealed crate with one obsidian crate and one weapons crate opened. Pieces of black stone and metal pieces orbited around her hands. Her eyes were closed with her left hand above and her right below the area she was focusing at. He watched as the pieces were being put together with a shiny yellow crystal at its core. When she was finished she gently settled on the crate below her, got up, did a frontflip while igniting the new saberstaff she had constructed. Finn had seen lightsabers before but he never saw anything like this.

One blade was longer than the other but not by much. He guessed that the longer blade was designed primarily for offense and the shorter blade was designed primarily for defense though he did assume that the roles of the blades could be interchanged depending on the situation she found herself in. The hilt was thin, much like the staff she carried when he met her, and was long enough for both hands to grasp with roughly three hands length of room in the middle. It had obsidian buttons and it was black and white from the weapons in the crates. She spinned and flourished her saberstaff in a display he'd never imagine. She was both careful of her surroundings and moving like a Twi'lek dancer. The blades formed circles, figure eights and shapes he couldn't describe. He felt the Force flow through her. He could feel a shield that radiated light around her but also fury that was powered by a shadow filled with passion. When she finished she disengaged the saber and put it in a bag that was next to the open obsidian crate.

Rey turned to face him and gave a big smile. "Hey!" She said excitedly. "You ready for this? We aren't on the same team but at least we're in the field together." She punched his left shoulder in a loving gesture.

"I've been wanting to ask you," he paused for a moment, "can you help me understand what the Force is?" He asked with obvious confusion in his words as if he was unsure that's how he wanted to ask the question.

"Of course." She said with almost too much excitement. He could feel that she's been wanting to do something like this. He had to admit if she is the only Jedi then she'll need to teach others and this could be a good place to start her own lessons in how to be a teacher.

"We'll need to sit down and cross our legs for this. We should face each other as well. The floor should be fine." The Jedi smiled gesturing to the cold metal floor. When they sat down it was obvious they both couldn't get a decent amount of comfort. He sat there nervous feeling the hairs on his arms and neck stand up.

"Finn." When he heard his name his focus shifted to the woman in front of him. Rey looked at him intently. "Can you tell me what you know about the Force? You don't have to go into detail simply give me your current understanding."

He sat there. He sat there for a small moment trying to figure out how to describe what he feels. "Well, uh... it's something I can feel but it's hard to describe. It's like if my emotions were on the outside and I can feel other people's emotions inside of my own body." Finn could tell that Rey seemed more curious now than she had before.

"You know how it feels. That's easy to tell. However the Force is a bit more than just feeling things. Those things you're feeling are by products of the Force at work. Between you and I, between one wall to the other, the shuttle to any planet you chose, the Force holds all of them together. What you're feeling is our connection to not just the Force but also with yourself and others."

This made a bit more sense. What he's actually feeling is the bond of all things. "Okay, what exactly is it though." He felt confused. It's possible Rey told him exactly what it was but he wasn't catching what she was throwing. The Jedi looked at him with her curiosity growing with each word he spoke.

"Think of that feeling as kind of energy. Much like gravity. You can feel the effects of gravity on your body but you can't actually see it. Gravity is a constant energy that is everywhere in the universe and affects everything. Even things in deep space." This made sense. The bond between things is the energy of the Force. He thought this is what she meant.

"If it's a kind of energy where does it come from?" He looked at his friend as she looked at the floor tapping her chin with a single finger. Her face spoke contemplation and concentration.

"It comes from the constant cycles of life and death. Life gives onto the Force. Life becomes death. Death decays to feed new life. Then new life gives unto the Force. All of these balances. Peace and war. Love and hatred. These are all aspects of both us and the Force." Finn had no real idea what to make of this. It all made sense but something in the back of his mind just didn't understand.

The look on Rey's face, even without feeling her emotions through the Force, said she understood his bewilderment. "Okay Finn, I want you to close your eyes." He did as she asked of him. There was nothing in his sight but darkness. In the air he could hear "Now, I want you to reach out" and in that moment he reached out his right hand in front of him as if to grab something from the air. Suddenly he could feel a tingle on his hand.

"I feel something." He said ecstatically. "You feel that?" Rey asked. "That's the Force." She said to him. "It's strong with you." As he described how exhilarating it was a sudden burst of pain hit his hand. He instantly opened his eyes and saw Rey giggling with her left hand over her mouth and the right with a piece of cloth.

"Hey!" Finn exclaimed. "That hurt." After a moment she composed herself and said "I want you to reach out with your feelings." She put a hand over his heart and he understood what she wanted. He closed his eyes again and pushed his emotions outwards to feel everything around him. Images flashed in his mind. He could see Jannah, Rex, Poe and Rose all in the cockpit. He could see Chewie and Rey in the same room he was in. He could see the crystal that was at the heart of her new lightsaber. He could feel stars being born and stars go super nova. He could feel life on distant planets being born and all the worlds the First Order were burning to ash. It was then he realized the true power of the Force. It clicked in his mind and he opened his eyes. His teacher looked at him with slight curiosity.

"What is it?" She asked the young man. He was still held back a bit from the experience of an epiphany. "The Force is everything." Putting an emphasis on 'is' while his eyes grew wide. "The power it gives isn't really anyone's power at all. It belongs to all of us." He could see she smiled. She approved of his realization. "I'm not an expert yet," she said to him, "but what you just said is the very start of your understanding. You'll have to take it upon yourself to find your own meaning with it." He understood and nodded. Finn got up and bowed to the Jedi. "Thank you Rey." He said passionately. She stood and gave him a solid and loving hug. "Of course. I'm always here if you have any other questions." They smiled at each other and he left to go to the cockpit and she walked to Chewie who was now painting R2D2 black and silver.

After Finn put his armor on Rey and Chewie came up the ladder. The cockpit became somewhat cramped with most everyone here. They all looked out the viewing pane as the hyperspace lane transformed into the planet of Coruscant. The orbit of the planet was swarmed with a blockade of Star Destroyers encompassing the entire planet with squadrons of TIEs flying to and from Destroyers. A chime hit the intercom system and Rex pressed to receive.

"Shuttle craft." The voice said with authority. "Give us your designation code." Rex almost out of instinct gave them the code they were asking for. A moment had passed before the voice responded. "You're clear for landing. Dock at Bay 66 on level 1024 in the Undercity and speak with Sergeant Zion for further instructions." When they passed the blockade and entered Coruscant's atmosphere Rey gave an audible gasp. "I didn't think the planet would actually be one entire city." Everyone but Rex and Jannah turned to look at her who has an expression of child-like wonder. "I've heard stories about it when I lived near Niima Outpost but I couldn't have imagined this." Everyone smiled in various ways and he felt that everyone's tension was slowly residing. They watched as the shuttled passed through tall towers and buildings of various sizes. They saw giant temple in the distance and all the cars that flew in all directions. They soon after descended down a gigantic hole in the ground. The daylight that became a dark shadow became even darker as they made their way down to their destination.

Cody found himself at a bar called "The Lucky Falthier" since his investigations led him to Docking Bay 66 on level 1024 in the Undercity. On his list of possible candidates for the Resistance sympathizer Supreme Leader Rell was looking for there were three troopers of high stations. Firstly there was Captain Veers. Rumor has been floating between the privates of the Works and the Jedi temple that he has been outspoken about the galatic genocide with canidate two who was Lieutenant Gregor who's been Veers' protege for three years whom in the same rumors has been speculated to have agreed with the Captain. Lastly and most likely the real candidate was Admiral Renay, the only stormtrooper admiral in the whole First Order and the one in charge with the security of the Jedi temple. What connects her and the first two was The Lucky Falthier since this is the only place in the whole Core to find Novanian grog which they all drank.

He had located the bar fairly recently and decided to sit to have something to eat. Since he got here he's had a small pain in his stomach from the flight over that has steadily been getting stronger and more painful. The Lucky Falthier looked onto Dock 66 from its viewing pane and he decided to sit at the last remaining booth to see if either of the three troopers would come to the bar. He was more than willing to come back each day until they had arrived. He was eating something called Yobshrimp Noodle Salad which the waiter said the chef had tried on Batuu among other things on the menu. It wasn't bad but Cody thought anything that wasn't provided by the First Order to be at the very least flavorful.

It was when he received a second glass of water when he saw a Zul-class cargo shuttle land on Docking Bay 66. The shuttle was so large that it could fool just about anyone into thinking the landing pad that extended out of the level would break. He saw Sergeant Zion who he spoke to a few hours before talking to a trooper that had the rank of Captain. Zion seemed surprised when a thin woman with brown hair with part of her hair put into a bun on the crown of her head with the rest hanging just past the shoulder wearing a black tunic with a white scarf that was wrapped around them to make an x in the front and back along with grayish pants and darker grayish boots, a shorter woman with jet black hair with the majority of it put into a ponytail with two long bangs going down the sides of her face framing it wearing what could be best described as a mechanics uniform and a Wookie who roared at incoming troopers trying to ascertain the situation all came out in handcuffs.

There were three troopers surrounding them. One in the front who was carrying a bag and two in the back. The only one that seemed out of place was one up front. They seemed uncomfortable in their armor as if they've never worn it before. The Captain and Zion must have ended their discussion cause he went back to his logistics duty while the Captain ordered their troops to move those civilians down the alleyway past The Lucky Falthier while they stayed behind with the shuttle. What struck Cody as even more odd was the BB-9E unit that was with them had a dome shaped head instead of a flat one. The other astromech he didn't recognize. The First Order hasn't ever used an astromech like that before and this was the right amount of oddities for Cody to, at the very least, tail them. He may miss his chance to catch on the troopers he's been looking for but that could wait.

The trip through the bustling city like level wasn't exactly hard but it also wasn't hard to see that the diversity of beings that occupied the level had no real love for the First Order. None of them got rowdy but with enough provocation they would turn on a moment's notice. They all stared at the group as they made their way down the walkway passing businesses and homes of equal measure all within the shadow of cover and smog. When they cut through an alleyway they all gave a small sigh of relief. It was cramped but there was enough room for them to keep formation. They reached the edge of the level and found the tunnel. Small rocks fell from the ceiling and yellow caution tape made an x that was to indicate bar of entry. Of course this didn't stop the group and they continued on. After the long walk down the narrow tunnel which scared Finn and R2 more than a few times they reached the inside of a cold room and they realized they had made it to the temple.

Rey, Rose, Chewie and R2 split from the rest to explore the temple. Chewie in his recounting of events told Rey of Master Yoda who had great relations with the Wookie people. He was the Grand Master of the Jedi Order in those times. As they made their way through the temple, careful not to attract unwanted attention, he talked about how much he missed him as they went down enormous halls but it all felt empty to Rey. It was like this place had been abandoned for a thousand generations. They passed gigantic pillars which boggled the Jedi's mind. She had never, ever seen anything like this. She couldn't have imagined yet it all felt strangely familiar. It was like she spent most of her life here. It was like she had been here multiple times before all with memories she couldn't even possibly access.

The Jedi was suddenly bombarded with screams, blaster fire and the hums of lightsabers. She could hear multiple words from the same voice though it felt like they were all unique in the Force. She heard the anguish of children, teenagers and adults all ending with blaster shots. All of this accompanied visions of Jedi fighting for their lives against white and blue stormtroopers and all of them losing their lives. The troopers were unlike any she had ever seen and the flashes of blues and greens caused her to feel nauseous. It ended with one quiet line and it was from a child. "Master Skywalker there too many of them what are we going to do?"

She didn't realize she was crotched down with her eyes closed and her hands over her ears. When she came to she saw Chewbacca embracing her, Rose rubbing her shoulder and R2 swiveling his domed head back and forth in nervous worry. She was very thankful at that moment to have them with her but as she thought this she saw him. It was Ben Solo. He pointed to her left which would direct her to a hallway. She gently broke free from her companions and rushed over to see him.

"Ben?" She whispered as if to see if he could hear her. She placed her left hand on his cheek and it amazed her that she could actually feel him. She ran a finger down his cheek tracing where the scar she gave him used to be. He didn't say anything. All he did was look up and down her face as if wanting to do something but couldn't. Just like that he was gone.

"Rey?" Rose asked. "Was that a vision? Did it show you something?" This made Rey think that they couldn't see Ben. Which could explain why Finn never followed her when she had her visions on Aeon IV.

"Yeah," the Jedi said, "something like that. We have to go this way." She pointed down the hall that Ben showed her.

"Okay. We'll follow." Rose said with Chewie grunting in acknowledgement.

At each end of a hallway Ben was there to guide her pointing to the direction she knew she needed to go. They went down hallways, up and down stairs all the while Rey could hear voices as if they were distant memories within the Force.

"Master," It was Anakin's voice, "I've disappointed you. I haven't been appreciative of your training. I've been arrogant and I apologize." He sounded sincere. "I've just been so frustrated with the council." It was plain to hear in his voice how much he didn't like them.

"You are strong and wise Anakin and I am very proud of you." It was the wise man and he also sounded sincere. "I have trained you since you were a small boy. I have taught you everything I know and you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be." It felt like a true memory of hers. It felt like for some yet unknowable reason that this was also for her.

Ben had directed her through more corridors and stairs saying nothing but only pointing to where they needed to go. She heard more voices as they went.

"Premonitions? Premonitions." A growly voice said with an audible hum afterward. "These visions you have?" "They're of pain, suffering, death." Anakin replied. He must have been talking about Padme. Did the other person know of his secret marriage to her?

"Yourself you speak of or someone you know?" The growly voice asked. "Someone." Anakin replied without giving the name of who. He didn't tell anyone about his marriage. Though Rey felt like this was a conversation she has had before she couldn't help but to think how wrong it was that he had to hide who he loved from everyone around him.

"Close to you?" The voice asked and Anakin replied somberly. "Yes." The other voice returned.

"Careful you must be when sensing the future Anakin. The fear of loss is a path to the dark side." She couldn't help to think that they forced him to hide his love and if he could only have told them the truth they could have helped him.

"I won't let these visions come true Master Yoda." The growly voice that Anakin was talking to was Master Yoda. From what she could tell Master Yoda tried to be a teacher when what Anakin really needed was a friend.

"Death is a natural part of life." Yoda told Anakin. "Rejoice for those around you who transformed into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed that is." She wasn't one to oppose those who were wiser than she was but what he told Anakin was so wrong. She couldn't imagine not being able to mourn or miss the people who have left her life. Han, Leia, Ben and even Henime she had found that she's missed.

"What must I do Master Yoda?" Anakin asked somberly. "Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."

As she heard Master Yoda say this they entered what looked like a grand library. It amazed her that there was any data here at all. She would have figured her grandfather destroyed every single thing from the Jedi. Maybe he wasn't as smart as he thought he was. It's possible in his quest for immortality and ultimate power he had to seek knowledge from the Jedi he wiped out. That almost felt ironic to her. She saw Ben at the end of the bottom floor next to a door. She jumped down with the Force guiding her graceful descent and made her way to him.

"Behind this door lies the archives the Jedi kept." He said as he looked right into her eyes. "I can't go with you but I'll be seeing you soon, Sweetheart." Just like that he was gone. She stood there a moment almost afraid of what she would find behind the closed door. She could hear her friends come up to her.

"I might need to go in alone. Guard the door for me until I return?" She gave a worried smile and they all accepted her request. She placed her right hand on the door. It felt cold and dark to the touch. It slowly opened and she saw nothing but pitch black darkness. The Jedi took one step forward and the door closed behind her.

She walked for some moments before she saw twelve beings cloaked in black kneeling before a tall, mechanical being. It was Darth Vader. The one in front of the other eleven was bald and grey. The rest were of various species and sizes though she could feel that all of them used to be Jedi. All but the imposing visage of Vader disappeared like ashes in the wind. The Dark Lord ignited his crimson lightsaber and slowly walked to her.

"You do not belong here. You are no Jedi." He said with his deep and menacing tone. She could feel a darkness borrowing inside her mind trying to convince her that she was indeed not a Jedi.

"I am a Jedi. I'm the last Jedi and this isn't who you are Anakin." She said defiantly trying to fight the darkness that tried to consume her mind. The mechanical breathing that came from the frame walking towards her got louder inside of her ears as if to drive her mad.

"That name no longer has any meaning for me." Vader said with cold and articulate precision. He pointed his lightsaber right at Rey. "The Emperor will be most pleased when I kill the last of your wretched kind." His steps became louder in her ears like his breathing did until he was right in front of her.

He raised his saber and attacked her. As he did so she called her saber from the bag she was carrying to her hand and ignited one of the blades to defend herself. Their blades locked together and the dark side was flowing between them. His breathing bore into her mind trying to confuse her and make her lose balance.

"The Force has chosen you to be its guardian. It will fail you like it did Anakin." With the Force the dark lord grabbed at her throat and threw her away from him. In almost the same instant he threw his lightsaber at her. It spinned like a whirlwind before she used the Force to stop it as the blade almost made contact. "Most impressive" the imposing figure said as if it were meant to be a compliment while calling his weapon back to his hand. He walked slowly with each step having a dark purpose.

"You were born of the dark side just like that fool Anakin was." He said trying to probe each word into her brain to make her believe what he wanted her to believe.

"He believed that if he had the power to save the ones he loved it would bring salvation to his enslavement." The mechanical being stepped ever closer.

"His destiny was to lose everything and yours is to realize you never had anything from the start." Each word ate at her consciousness and it was becoming harder to keep him out of her head.

"Just like Anakin had Padme there was another whom you loved and now they are gone. You have no real idea how many generations this story has played out. A cycle that has no end." He was above her now. The darkness he exhumed weighed so heavy on her she found herself kneeling.

"You are no Jedi young one and you will die without seeing the truth of our being." She had let the darkness build up in her. She found the feeling titillating. It was like pure unadulterated power flowed in her veins. She was angry at many things but there was never any real hatred in her heart. She didn't even hate her grandfather, only pitied him. She used her compassion for her friends, her love for Ben to mix with the darkness that was like a vortex of emotions.

"I am a Skywalker like my masters before me and I will always be a Jedi!" Igniting the other blade of her saberstaff and rising to her feet the Jedi and the Sith dueled each other. Each blow sent ripples in the Force that she could feel like shockwaves in the very air. His strikes were slow and powerful. He kept his defense solely to protect the panel that laid on his chest. Her strikes were fast and furious with her defense being divided between parrying or dodging the strikes with a nimble agility augmented by the Force. The two clashed in the darkness neither giving any ground or advantage to the other.

Jannah, Finn, Poe and BB-8 walked all over the Jedi temple all with no actual clue of where the hell they were going. Jannah admitted to herself that Poe almost pulled it off though there were a time or two it seemed like when other troopers walked by they looked at the group with some sort of suspicion. What amazed her even more was that no one said anything about the fact that BB had a dome shaped head. BB-9E droids have a dome shaped head. They also had vents all over their spherical bodies but that was easily unnoticeable if one didn't look too closely but a glace can surely spot his round head. She even giggled a bit to herself when BB tried to mimic his First Order counterparts. Instead of menacing beeps it sounded like menacing squawks. They had to stop because there was no way that walking around aimlessly was going to get them anywhere.

"Hey buddy?" Poe said trying to grab his friends attention. "Do you remember the designation number they went by?" He asked inquisitively.

"Yeah," Finn replied, "it's XX-4673 I think?" Finn paused to think. "Yeah, that's it." Now saying it with affirmation.

Jannah often wondered how Finn was able to survive in the First Order with how often he became awkward and confused. She turned around and saw a single trooper stand near the entrance of a hallway they were close too. She found it odd that there was only one but she kept it to the back of her mind. She followed as the two decided that asking for directions was a better option than not. "Let me doing the talking guys." She said placing an emphasis on 'me' so they understood she wasn't going to take no for an answer. She brushed past them and went to talk to the next set of troopers.

"Hey fellas?" She said almost casually. "We were transferred here from Utapau and we are looking for XX-4673. We heard they were the one to go to get our assignments." She simply just made it up. She got really good at that lately. She never felt good lying but at times if it's to protect the ones you love you have to make sacrifices.

"Oh yeah." One of the troopers said with an accent that reminded her of the troopers that trained in Wild Space. The trooper who spoke slapped the other one on the arm.

"I told you Utapau would have fallen eventually. Gimme the credits you owe me." The other trooper with a sigh of resignation gave his compatriot the betting money he owed.

"Yeah, right now they are at the top of the tower. It's said that the Jedi council sat on their asses for a thousand years and barely did anything." Both of them were laughing a riot and Jannah thought how awful it was that the Jedi legacy was left to one person.

"There's an elevator just down the Grand Hall. Take a left here and another left and you'll see it plain as day." She saluted them and they saluted back.

"Good luck calling her by that designation." As they walked away she could hear them mumble "yeah those fools don't know what's coming to them" and laughing afterwards. She watched them leave but noticed that lone trooper was gone.

"Well," Poe said cautiously, "we might as well make our way there." What the troopers didn't mention was how long they had to walk after the first left. Poe and Finn were walking side by side with the latter teaching the former how to walk like a trooper. Jannah thought about her friends and the one person she had found the deepest affection for and all of her actions up until this very point. Deep inside herself she had found some regrets that she was afraid that was coming to get her in the near future. She also wondered if the person she had affection for thought the same thing. They had been practically inseparable since she first joined the Resistance but if they knew what she had done.

Just as she thought this they had made it to the elevator and got in. Another trooper shoved their way into the elevator with them. They didn't make a sound the whole way up and the air felt tense to her. When they entered the circular room with several throne-like chairs that surrounded most of the edge they saw a lone trooper with a black cape that covered their right shoulder sitting in the center chair overlooking a datapad.

The trooper wasn't wearing a helmet and none could be found within eyesight which struck Jannah as odd. The woman had light pigmented skin and long brunette hair. She had a face that spoke intelligence but also wisdom and insight.

"Are you possibly XX-4673?" Poe asked through the vocal modulator that was in the helmet he still wore. If looks could kill she would've bet that this one could. Quickly Poe takes off his helmet.

"We're with the Resistance. You sent us a message to meet you." After a few moments had past the woman gave a warm smile.

"I'm Admiral Renay." Her smile became warmer and all tension had left the room. "Disguising yourselves as stormtroopers shouldn't have worked." She sat for a second and thought. "You two were stormtroopers weren't you." Two fingers pointed to Finn and Jannah. Both took off their helmets.

"You're Poe Dameron I presume?" "Yes." He replied while nodding his head.

The Admiral walked forward taking out of one of the many compartments that surrounded her belt a small electronic device. "Since I became Admiral I've done some digging on the Supreme Leader. Not many people have died to get this information. If anything this will bring you one step closer to stopping them."

The four Resistance members stood there for some moments before the droid among them spoke. What BB asked should've been obvious to all of them. The Admiral replied solemnly "I'm afraid it's a lot worse than you could possibly think. It's better if you read it yourselves." Not a moment later a loud thud could be heard at the door where they had entered and what Jannah saw stunned her. It was a blonde haired, blue eyes young man in stormtrooper armor pointing a blaster at them. A click and chime of the blasters settings switching from stun to kill sounded. The man only said one thing. "Admiral Renay, you'll have to come with me."

The Jedi's and Sith's duel came to a stand still as their blades locked again. Rey tried to see within the mask to find the man within and get him to stop. She was strong when it came to tricks of the mind and she hoped by looking into his she could see a way to stop him. However this distracted her from the foot the came from under her and knocked her to the ground face first. All the wind was knocked out of her and she suddenly found herself thrown away from the Dark Lord.

"What do you think you'll accomplish if you looked into my mind?" He stood there so still that he almost looked like a statue. "You would only see yourself. You'd only see the slavery that still binds you to your only weakness." Vader just stood there with his red blade being the only light source other than her own yellow blades. She had to think of a way to defeat him but she couldn't think of anything. He was strong not just in the Force but his fighting style was perfect for him she realized. His size and weight were his main weapons. She had to get past that and it hit her like the aftertaste of Corellian bourbon.

"Don't make me destroy you." The imposing Dark Lord said to intimidate her and to make her question her next actions but she wasn't going to be tricked by mind his games. Her will was strong and her will to fulfil her desires was even stronger. She was doing this because she didn't have friends or family that cared about her when she was on Jakku and it was when she joined the Resistance and the day she fell in love with Ben Solo when he listened and comforted her across stars that she finally found what she wanted. She was going to fight and find him because she knows he deserved a second chance.

She ran towards Darth Vader and dished out a quick succession of small strikes at all angles until she placed one foot on an unguarded bent knee using it like a jumping off point to do a backflip making a cycle kick straight to the masks chin and when she landed she instantly made an uppercut with the longer blade of her saber cutting a scar-like hole into the helmet. An audible wail came from the large frame as he stepped back and knelt in pain. When she turned around could see a pale face that matched Anakin's with bright yellow eyes that started to fade. His breathing was now off beat and it sounded like his respirator was severely damaged. He wheezed as he fought to breathe. Ticks and tocks could be heard as pieces of machinery failed to accomplish their designed goals. She knelt to him and took his helmet off. What she saw felt like she was looking in the mirror but it was still the scared face of Ben's grandfather.

"I'm sorry." He said as he began to cry. "It's okay. I forgive you." Replied the Jedi. She knew that Anakin only wanted to show his love to the whole galaxy and he felt like he had no choice but to hide all of his life. She wiped his tears away and gave him a hug and she reached out into the Force, into him and gave him her love. He slowly returned the gesture and embraced the Jedi. As he did his body fell away like ashes in the wind and the darkness that engulfed the room had faded away.

Rey opened her eyes and saw many pedestals and class cases all displaying artifacts that she could feel within the Force. Why her grandfather never destroyed them was still beyond her but she was very thankful they were still here. A set of objects among all of them however gave off a sort of shimmer to her eye. One was of a pyramid shape with runes inscribed into it. It had a metal casing that contained the energies within. There was a cubed one right next to it but that one was blue. She could feel the dark and light in each respectively. There was something familiar about their design. It suddenly clicked into her mind. The same book that showed her what the Wayfinder was also had pages containing these objects.

The book called them "holocrons" or at least that's how she translated it. The book, the best she could translate, said that they contained the specific memories of the person who created it. The only way you could open one was transferring the energies of the Force into the holocron with the same energies that were contained within it. She decided to open the cubed one first to see if what she read was true. She hovered her right hand over the object feeling it through the Force. She could feel the light within it and tried to reach inside with her own light. The cube to her astonishment floated before her. Pieces of it came apart and orbited the it and a blue light started to shine brightly. Suddenly a middle aged man who had a widows peak and looked like he hadn't slept in many days.

"I am the gatekeeper of this holocron." Said the man in cream colored robes. "This holocron contains the memories of Jedi Master Sifo Dyas. I have a message for a girl who will find this long after I am gone." She must have heard the man wrong but it almost sounded like he was talking directly to her. "I'm afraid your feelings are correct. My gift in the Force was being able to see the future with extreme accuracy. It plagued most of my life and as I got older I hardly ever slept." She started to piece things together about this man. As he spoke she couldn't help to think about how strange this truly was. "The only advise I can offer you is this. All art has meaning and all you have to do is read the hands." Just as he said that he disappeared and the holocron regained its original shape. Rey decided to do the same thing with the pyramid.

When she hovered her hand over it she felt the dark side within it and in turn she gave it some of the dark side she could produce. It also floated and broke into pieces that orbited the base and bright red light shone from it. The image that popped up almost terrified the Jedi. It was an Iktotchi with two fang-like tattoos that started from her lips down and two rows of sharp, pointed teeth that grinned in a way that made Rey feel uneasy. She wore a dark black robe with a hood that covered the majority of her face.

"I am the gatekeeper of this holocron. This holocron contains the memories of Darth Cognus. I was the apprentice to Darth Zannah and she the apprentice of Darth Bane who reformed our order. If my predictions of the future are correct you should be a descendant of the one who completed Bane's vision of the Jedi's destruction and the galactic rule of the Sith." Rey listened intently at the deceptive looking being. She looked like a predator who was constantly stalking her prey. "There is a part in the book you learned about the holocrons from that still had information to give which I shall give to you now. When this holocron closes use both the light and dark sides of the Force to bring the two together and it will give you what you need." In an instant she disappeared and the holocron reformed and settled on the pedestal.

Rey stood there and looked at the two holocrons wondering if she were to do as Darth Cognus asked would it explode in her face or warp her mind to where she saw nightmares for the rest of her life? Her goal was too great for her to give up now. With both hands she reached out with both compassion and anger. When she did both the holocrons floated, came apart and slammed together. What was formed had a bright purple light that went inside of her mind and it felt like when Kylo Ren shifted through her memories looking for the map to his Uncle. It felt like all the locked doors of her mind suddenly opened and new information poured in. When it stopped both holocrons exploded but did no damage to her or her surroundings. She felt an instinct to open the book she brought and she was stunned to see that she could easily read it. The Jedi immediately sat down and read it page by page.

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly let's talk about the very, very ending of this first act.
> 
> The trip to Coruscant would have ended with a chase out of the city planet, Jannah and Renay getting captured by the First Order, Rey discovering the location of Lothal's Jedi temple where the mural is and from the city planet they would go to Lothal. The information they obtained from Renay would have Rell's identity and current location which is Lothal. Cody and Taggart at the end of the act would have the Resistance surrounded on Lothal as they wait for Rey who is dueling Rell which leads to her right arm getting cut off and kicked into the WBW portal. The act would end with Rey's POV as she descends into the WBW and losing consciousness.
> 
> Throughout the second act titled "Heart Of the Force" there would be a lot of high Force concepts explored. Rey, now in the WBW, are guided by the ghost of Jedi past to very center of the Force, which is a literal wounded heart, where Ben has been waiting for her. It's here where Rell's tragic past and the Chosen One would be fleshed out. The Chosen One was the first ever Force couple, Ashla Jed'i (of the light side) and Bogan Sithis (of the dark side)
> 
> They are the ones who put the Force out of balance when Bogan killed Ashla out of selfishness and this sparked the Jedi and Sith conflicts that had happened ever since. The Force reincarnates their souls whenever the Force is in need of balance but each cycle ends with the spirit holder of Bogan killing the spirit holder of Ashla out of selfish desires. Anakin and Padme were the last reincarnations before Ben and Rey. 
> 
> The Resistance in the second act would rescue their friends and gather their forces for the final battle which would involve getting a message out and convincing the hesitant Stormtroopers to defect. Rell would begin her downward spiral as she starts losong allies and is desperate to complete her goals so she will do something unspeakable to open a portal into the WBW.
> 
> The third act titled The Resurrection Of Solo would have the return of Ben Solo to the physical world, the final battle of the war on Mustafar and the healing of the Heart Of the Force, done by forgiving and hugging Rell, bringing balance to the Force.
> 
> Some small stuff...
> 
> Rell is probably my all time favorite original character I've made. She is to be described as "a void in the Force" since she has no literal connection to the Force and on a storytelling level to be the antithesis of the Force itself. That and who she is is to be a reflection of all the heroes. She was born on Mandalore and named herself after the ancient Mandalorian mother of the gods Aurelia. Her designation number would have been RJ-1313 for the reference. I didn't mean to write her childhood experience with the monster to be so OP. That would have been rewritten from the ground up. The idea was that after that event she would be inducted to the Praetorian Guard trials, which she didn't make the cut, and basically raised by Taggart where his ideology about the Force influenced hers. After failing the Praetorn trials she would be sent off to different dig sites of Jedi and Sith temples where she learned of the many galatic spanning conflicts and believing the Force was the central reason those wars happened at all. After the Battle Of Exegol she saw the opportunity to take over the First Order and find a way to destroy the Force so no more galatic spanning wars would happen again. The burning of planets is a contingency and a way for the stakes to be elevated to a breaking point. Also her sword and armor is made of beskar so she'll be able to duel Rey without needing a lightsaber. Physical she's thicc to put an internet term in there. She's built like a tank and twice as strong. I have a mock duel between Rey and Rell written (it was one of the first things I wrote for this) and basically Rell wipes the floor with her.
> 
> Like the beginning note said if you want to talk more indepth hit me up on my Twitter DM's twitter.com/caalebdaavis
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this and to whomever decides to finish this story please let me see it when you finish it. I'd like to see what would become of this in someone else's hands.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Caleb Isaac Davis


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